Lily Evans and the Wolfsbane Secret
by Delighted Dobby
Summary: Lily Evans enters her seventh year at Hogwarts as Head Girl, and a series of werewolf attacks raises suspicions against an old friend. Now Lily must work to discover the truth with the help of unexpected and undesired allies, including James Potter.
1. A Chance Encounter

**Title:** Harry Potter Histories: Lily Evans and the Wolfsbane Secret

**Era:** Marauders (1970-1981)

**Summary:** Lily Evans enters her seventh-year at Hogwarts as Head Girl, uncertain where she stands with James Potter and hardly realizing that it is the last time she will feel safe from the war against Voldemort. A series of attacks on the castle's grounds indicate the presence of something terrible in the Dark Forest, and signs point to a werewolf. Working together with James and the Marauders, Lily must discover the truth before the school turns against an innocent friend.

**Author's Note:** This is my personal take on the much-imagined Year Seven story of the Marauders, with a particular focus on Lily Evans (all the chapters are narrated from a tight third-person perspective that focuses on her take on the events). I actually wrote this several years ago but returned to it to make some minor changes so that it would fit with The Deathly Hallows, which wasn't published at the time. I also corrected some random grammatical errors. As always, anything associated with Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling.

Chapter One – A Chance Encounter

If one would have seen the newspaper that drifted out of Lily Evans's second-story window from any other house on the street, it would have appeared quite ordinary. But as Lily watched _The Daily Prophet_ flutter out the window, she made a desperate grab for it. She knew how different it truly was, and that difference would raise questions if anyone happened to find it lying in the street.

Unfortunately, she leaned a bit too far over her desk and spilled a small jar of ink over the long sheet of parchment on which she had been writing out new potion ideas she wanted to try when she returned to Hogwarts after vacation. Cursing, she drew her wand and held it over the table.

"Bloody hell!" she said, realizing that by the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery she couldn't clean the mess up with the typical incantation of _Scourgify_!

She didn't even want to think it too strongly, for she was now quite accomplished at nonverbal spells.

Taking one last look out the window at the _Prophet_, which was fluttering to the ground, Lily crumpled up her parchment and sighed. As she walked outdoors she looked out at the stars, noting the constellations she had studied for so many years at Hogwarts. Her eyes strayed towards Mars, which was quite high and bright in the sky.

As she walked around the side of the house, she thought it was a good thing that it was night. Their neighbors might have found it suspicious for her to go to all this trouble to retrieve a newspaper, which was now stuck atop a high hedge beyond her reach.

A low sound, almost a growl, arose from her throat as she jumped up to reach the paper. In the glow of the streetlamp, she noticed that the figure on the front page looked decidedly frightened and disheveled and was shaking his head back and forth. Its lips even appeared to be sounding out the words, "I don't like heights."

Lily's attention was so affixed upon the newspaper clinging to the top of the hedges that she failed to notice the first light at the end of her street suddenly go out. A small globe of light streaked away from the top of the post and disappeared into the night. The next bulb in line, and then the next, soon followed.

When the light above her grew dark, she whirled around and said, "Who's there?" She heard the soft rustle of footsteps and drew her wand. _There are exceptions for underage wizards if they really need to use magic for defense_, she tried to reassure herself. She was still considering whether an elementary _Lumos_ spell would suffice when a voice called out in the darkness.

"_Accio Daily Prophet_," the voice drawled confidently. Lily wrenched her wand in the direction of the voice. Apparently she must have been thinking quite intensely, for the end of her wand suddenly brightened and illuminated a small globe-like area around her.

She quickly flicked it off. _I'm not supposed to do that._

"I won't tell if you won't," the voice said, as if reading her thoughts. Another wand lit up in the darkness, and in its light she saw the newspaper sailing into the waiting hand of one of the last people on earth that Lily had expected—or desired—to see.

"_Potter_?" she blurted, in a tone both astonished and aggrieved. "What in Merlin's name are you doing _here_?" After another second she added, "At _my_ house?"

"I just happened to be in the neighborhood," James Potter replied casually. "That light suits your hair, you know." And it was true. The silvery threads of light seemed like fire against the strands of her dark red hair.

Her eyes flashed dangerously as she said, "Watch it, Potter."

"Woah, woah, no need to get hostile with me. I was just paying you a compliment," he said. His smile was slight and momentary, a mere twitch of shadow around the mouth. He brushed a lock of hair away from the side of his face.

"I wouldn't worry about the spellwork, actually. The Ministry knows I've been sent here, so…let's just say the eyes aren't watching as closely as they normally are." He smiled, but after he spoke they lapsed into an uncomfortable silence.

"So," she said, a hint of expectation in her voice.

"So," he said, for the first time sounding a bit uncertain. "Here's your newspaper."

She quickly snatched it from his outstretched hand. As he withdrew it, she saw the long object in his hand. It appeared like an elongated cigarette lighter, although the fine filigree and the spots of rust on the metal engravings gave it the look of a valuable antique.

"No word of thanks?"

"I didn't need your help, thank you very much."

"Oh," he retorted, "So all that jumping was what, a bit of the ol' exercise routine, eh, Evans? That's how you stay in shape over the lazy summer months?"

Lily scowled at him. "I guess lugging around that big head of yours is what keeps you in shape, I'm sure. More than enough exertion, no doubt." She stalked past him back towards the front door.

"So you think I'm in good shape, Evans?" Rather than answer, she tapped her wand irritably against her leg. As the light vanished, James' face and smile vanished into the darkness behind her.

She had just opened the door when he reappeared behind her.

"What, not going to invite an old friend in?"

She started at him. "What did you just call yourself?"

He shrugged. "Why, an old friend. A chum, a pal, a buddy. A peer."

"The only way I'd call you chum is if I was getting ready to throw you into a pack of seals," she said, quite exasperated. But a little voice niggled her instead her head. _What was James Potter doing here, in Surrey of all places, this late at night? And why did he have Dumbledore's light-flicker with him?_

She needed to get him out of here quickly, before…_Too late_. As she turned to enter the house, her mother appeared at the door. Mrs. Evans was a kind-looking woman with the slightest hint of laugh lines around her green eyes and an easy smile.

"Lily, why are you standing outside—oh, who is this young man?" Lily couldn't help noticing the glimmer of hope in her mother's eyes as she surveyed him. _Oh no. Oh no, no no, _she thought. She could imagine her mother sizing him up as a possible romantic interest for her youngest daughter. Lily could remember all of her mother's supposedly subtle inquiries: _"So, met any interesting boys at school this past year?"_

"Why, hello. I see where Lily gets her beauty," James said smoothly. Her mother covered her mouth and made a little sound. _A giggle, _Lily realized with astonishment. "The hair must come from her father, I guess." Her mother's hair was a rather dark shade of brown.

"We haven't been introduced, I think," he said. Here he stepped up level with Lily and seemed inclined to wait for her to say something.

She only glared daggers at him. She was definitely not going to introduce him to her mother if she could help it.

Shrugging his shoulders imperceptibly, he continued. "My name is James Potter. I'm in the same year as Lily at Hogwarts. I just happened to be nearby and thought I'd say a quick hello."

"Yes, well, _hello_, James," Lily said. "If you really want to make it quick, we could say goodbye here as well."

"Lily, don't rush the young man off so quickly!" She groaned as her mother swung the door open. "Oh, you _must_ come in for some tea, Mr. Potter."

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans."

"Oh, call me Evelyn, I insist you call me Evelyn."

"Thank you Mrs. Ev—Evelyn." And he followed her inside the house.


	2. A Spot of Tea

Chapter Two – A Spot of Tea

Lily's mind raced furiously as she watched her mother escort James into the sitting room.

"Gerold, dear, Gerold!" her mother's voice called in the hallway. And then more sternly: "Gerold! I know that taxes are important, but they come once a year. We have a guest I'd like you to meet, he's come from Lily's school."

Putting her head in her hands, she sank into her favorite armchair. _Why is this happening to me?_ she thought. She glared at the source of her troubles and was surprised to find James still standing, looking around rather nervously at the bits of artwork her mother had hung around the room.

_Good God, could he actually be nervous?_ she wondered. But before she had a chance to finish her train of thought, her mother burst into the room, practically dragging Petunia in with her.

"Darling, I just want to have a spot of tea with our visitor, I don't know why you insist on being so _stubborn_—"

"Mother!" Petunia cried sharply. "I see no reason why I must be forced to have tea with this—this—" Thankfully, she was cut off by the entrance of Mr. Evans, whose broad face was set rather grumpily as he marched into the room. His mustache twitched a bit and his hair seemed all the redder set against his ruddy, well-freckled face.

"A, a guest, you say?" he muttered. "It better not be that man you brought last week to talk to me about toning down my soccer hobby—"

"Dear, didn't you hear me? He's from Lily's school."

She was becoming intensely embarrassed to hear her entire family talking as if both she and James weren't present in the room. Her face only grew redder as her father began resuming the week-long argument that had been the least entertaining bit of dinner-table conversation.

"—saw how quickly he was a therapist," Mr. Evans muttered. "There is nothing wrong with only using a toothpaste that has the Man U. colors—"

He suddenly seemed to realize the young man standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, staring at the ground and desperately pretending he wasn't hearing the conversation around him.

"But," her father finished, "Let's let bygones be bygones, shall we?" He put an arm around his wife. _I want to disappear, right now. I know so many spells, why don't I know one that…could…just…_

"So, who do we have here?" Mr. Evans inquired lightly. He glanced at Lily, then at James, and then glanced once more at Lily. And then, to complete the circuit, looked back at his wife and the smile dawning on her face.

_No, it's not what you're thinking, dad, no, it's not what you're thinking._ She tried to direct the message into his head, but that was beyond the reach of her magical abilities as well.

"My name is James Potter, I'm a student at Hogwarts, same year as your daughter," James said. He extended his hand and shook with Mr. Evans. "Just was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by and say hello."

"I can be off if you're very busy," he added hastily. Again, for a second, she thought he sounded slightly nervous.

"Oh, no, my boy. Nothing at all, just making sure that the old wigs up in London get their due. Nothing I couldn't put aside for company," her father blustered.

"I'll go get us some tea and biscuits!" her mother announced. As she moved towards the kitchen, she shooed Petunia and her husband to the nearby sofa and insisted that James take a seat as well. He sat in a narrow wooden chair partway between Lily and the rest of her family.

"We've, erm, we've never actually had anyone from Lily's school as company, before. Delightful, really. I assume you're a, ah—" Her father wasn't quite sure how to put it as he hemmed and hawed. Petunia's face grew increasingly horse-like as she twisted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Yes, I am," James interjected politely. He glanced askance at Petunia, whose odd behavior he had noticed. His eyes flicked back to Lily for a second, and then returned to her father.

"You must be very proud of Lily," he said. "She's the brightest witch in our class, you know." At the mention of the word _witch_, Petunia hissed audibly. James turned with a puzzled expression on his face and Lily was about to interject to ward off the inevitable explosion when her mother returned.

"Oh, I didn't know what kind of cakes you liked so I threw a little of everything on there," she announced breezily as she swept into the room and put the tray down on the table. Lily couldn't help noticing that her mother had decided to bring out the fine silverware, which had the old Evans crest on it.

"Oh, you didn't have to go to the trouble," James said. He reached for a small pastry. "Treacle tarts are my favorite."

"Really?" Mrs. Evans asked eagerly. "Lily's quite fond of them as well, I know."

"I think I'll actually have a butterscotch today," she said, her eyes conveying a warning to her mother. But Mrs. Evans just gave her a quick wink, as if to say, _Oh, I won't embarrass you._

"So James, how long have you known Lily?"

He tried to chew and swallow his last bite of tart at the same time before answering, which only resulted in a hacking cough. Mr. Evans reached over and pounded him a few times on the back.

"Guess you magic folk still can eat too fast, eh?" he joked. "Relax, son, take your time."

James nodded and then answered Mrs. Evans's question by saying, "Well, I think I've known Lily for six years now. Since our first year at school, you know. I still remember it like it was yesterday, you know. I'm sure you don't want to hear the story…"

"No, I'm sure we don't need to," Lily muttered hastily. Her mother, naturally, demanded that he continue.

"Ah, well. So we're going up to the dormitory after our first dinner there, and we're all looking around at the paintings, they have the most wonderful paintings at Hogwarts—"

"Really? Any artists we'd know?"

"I'm sure there are some, there's a da Vinci with this airplane design he invented. Of course in the painting it shows the thing flying, flapping its wings and all that, although I heard he never managed to get it off the ground in real life…" He realized that they were staring at him and coughed politely.

"Anyways, as I was saying, we're heading up to the Gryffindor dormitory. By then we've already raced ahead of the prefects, me and some other boys who I'd met on the train. And then we get there and realize we don't know the password.

So we tried to wheedle our way in, because really the Fat Lady—"

"Fat Lady?" her father interjected.

"The, erm, the one we give the password to," James explained, perhaps realizing it would be wise not to mention that she was in fact a sentient portrait.

"Let's just say she's not immune to flattery. We told her how pretty her dress looked and how we really were first-years, so there was no reason we would try to sneak in anywhere but our own house dorms, especially on the first night. And we even showed her the Gryffindor badges on our robes. But she wouldn't believe us.

And then along comes this girl—" Here he glanced back at Lily. "Cool as ice, she walks up to the portrait and says, 'I'm sorry you boys can't get in, but move out of the way.'

So we asked who she thought she was, and she said, perfectly calmly, 'Lily Evans. Now watch.' Oh, this one's good. She says, '_Open Sesame_!' Of course the door doesn't open. So she says it again, but louder this time. '_Open Sesame!_' And when she couldn't get in she looked furious and turned back to us and said, 'That's the way the cave opened in the story!'

By now we were laughing a little bit. So she turned to the door and screamed as loud as you could, 'Open up, you stupid door!' I think everyone in the school heard her. And finally the door swings open and the Fat Lady is trembling there and whispering, 'My word.' But she let us in. And didn't ask anyone for the password again for a month."

By this point Mr. Evans was laughing quite heartily, and Mrs. Evans was brushing tears out of her eyes. James leaned back and chuckled at the memory. "That was the first lesson I learned in Hogwarts, you know. I realized that there is always a way to get where you're going, magical or not."

"Oh my, yes, Lily was always a girl who knew what she wanted," Mrs. Evans said. "That does sound like you, dear."

Lily turned to James and whispered softly, "I'm surprised you remember when we first met."

"Well, how could I forget?" he asked teasingly. At this, Petunia started so violently that she spilled tea all over the front of her white blouse.

And then Lily watched with dread as James pulled out his wand casually and made the worst mistake possible.

"No worries," he reassured her, "It's just a spot of tea, that'll come out in a sec—"

All hell burst loose as Petunia shrieked, shooting out and slapping away James's wand. On the backhand she caught his face, and with a surprised expression he fell back and tripped over his own chair. Lily was already shooting out of her seat, as were her parents, so James fell onto her calves and she toppled as well. One of their legs caught the tea cozy and it shot up in the air.

As it fell she heard James cry out, "_Wingardium leviosa!_" Abruptly the whole assembly stopped in midair and hung there as if frozen. Mr. Evans was gazing in astonishment, while Mrs. Evans began hastily plucking biscuits out of midair and replacing them on the tray. Petunia had already run out of the room and stormed upstairs.

"Oh dear, oh dear," Mrs. Evans said.

"I'm—I'm sorry, Mrs. Evans, I'm really sorry—" Lily saw that James had a genuinely repentant expression as the two of them rose of the ground and dusted themselves off. In fact, it was harder to tell who looked sorrier at the moment: James, Lily, or Mrs. Evans.

"No, no, dear, we're the ones who should be sorry. And call me Evelyn, remember. It's just that—Lily's sister hasn't adjusted well to her…special abilities. She doesn't like seeing them used, and—"

"No, I understand, that was really stupid of me. I should have realized that's not how you normally do things and it would seem strange, I'm really—"

He lapsed into silence and all four of them looked nervously around the room.

"Anyways," he finally announced. "I really have to get going—" Her parents quickly tried to reassure him that nothing was wrong and urged him to sit down again, but he waved them off.

"No, really, I just wanted to stop off and say hi. Oh, and also I have some news for Lily." With this he turned to her and said, "The owls at Hogwarts have all taken ill for some reason, they're refusing to fly so they couldn't send you notice. I'm not sure if you've heard already otherwise, but Dumbledore thought I could come along and tell you in person. Unless you already know, of course, about, you know—"

Lily was genuinely puzzled. Owls sick? News from Hogwarts so important that Dumbledore would have wanted it delivered in person? That explained how he had the light-flicker. _But why him, of all people?_ A hundred questions raced through her mind.

"No," she answered, trying to remove all hints of apprehension from her voice. "I haven't heard. What is it?"

"It's not bad news," he reassured her. Apparently he could see the worry written on her face. "Rather the opposite, actually. You see, you've been made—you're the new—" He seemed to be having trouble saying it.

Finally he got it out. "You're Head Girl! Anyways, I'm sure the news can't be that big a surprise to you…" His voice tailed off awkwardly as he reached inside the light jacket he was wearing. He seemed to have some problem with the zipper and frowned at it.

This gave Lily a chance to compose herself. Truth be told, the announcement did surprise her quite a bit. She had never expected to be Head Girl. To her there always seemed to be people ahead of her, people who had known about magic for their entire lives who always nodded when they were being taught a new spell because they had seen their parents do it. Her first year at Hogwarts, it had sometimes felt as if people were speaking an entirely different language, one that she could never unravel. _Head Girl,_ the voice in her mind whispered, full of wonder.

Unfortunately she didn't have a great deal of time to contemplate it, as she suddenly found herself encompassed by her mother and father's gigantic embrace.

"Oh, honey, we're so proud of you!" they both said together. Her father looked quite fierce, with that light shining from his eyes and his complexion growing even brighter. Then Lily looked down and realized her mother was crying in her arms.

"Mum, it's okay, there's no need to—"

She looked quickly at James to see whether he was laughing at her family, but he appeared to be merely waiting. The smile on his face was not as mocking as the expression she was more accustomed to seeing on his lips. He looked like he was happy for them.

And for the first time that evening she realized that something very dramatic had changed James Potter since she had last seen him.

She stroked her mother's hair while she sobbed and her father tried to explain, whispering in her ear. "It's been hard for her, you know, sending you off knowing we won't really have you back in the house until next summer. She loves you. So much. And I do too." He pressed a soft kiss against her hair.

"We're so proud of you, honey," he said. They stood there, together, for quite some time.

Finally, her mother drew away and turned to James. "Oh, I'm sorry, James, this must be so terribly awkward for you to be seeing our family like this. You must think we are the strangest family in all of England. We've been such a display tonight, I'm afraid. I'm sure Lily must almost be dying of embarrassment by now—"

He laughed it off. "No, no, it's fine. You don't know strange until you live with wizards for a few years. Besides, it makes me feel like part of the family. Oh, and before I forget—" He drew his hand out of his pocket (finally having managed to unzip his coat) and pulled out a badge adorned with the letters HG, an elaborate red weave upon a golden background.

"Thanks," she said softly as he pressed it into her palm. "I'm not sure I deserve this."

He scoffed, "Like they could find someone better." She noticed how her parents swelled with pride at this comment.

"Well, like I said, I'll be going now—" Mr. and Mrs. Evans drowned out his last words by insisting that he stay the night, with her mother explaining how the guest bedroom was quite delightful and her father warning him of how dangerous road conditions could be in the area at nighttime.

"It's the fog, you see, it creeps in—"

"—and we can find you towels and there's extra soap and shampoo in the cupboard and—"

"Thank you very much, but I really do need to be going. And we, ahem, don't exactly travel by car, so it'll be somewhat easier for me to be on my way. Fog won't stop me," he declared with a little laugh.

Her parents continued to protest, redoubling their efforts. But finally they resigned themselves to the fact that he was set on his course of action and they relented—although not before her mother convinced him to take another tart "for the road." Even if that wasn't the way he was going to be traveling.

Lily walked him out to the front door. As he stepped down he nodded to her and said, "See you at Hogwarts, Evans."

"Hey," she called out as he left. "I forgot to ask. Who's Head Boy, then?"

When the question left her lips, she watched as the old wicked grin appeared on his face and she knew the answer. To that question, at least, of the many that were floating in her mind.

"Does this mean you'll have to behave yourself now?" she asked his fading outline, already knowing it was too much to hope for.

"Oh no," he answered, his voice drifting oddly across the yard. With every click of his finger another light came back to life. "That would be too much to ask of me." He lightly tapped two fingers against his head and gave her a little salute, and then vanished. The last thing she saw was the shadow of his smile.


	3. The Most Pestilient and Putrid Potions

Chapter Three – The Most Pestilent and Putrid Potions

The remaining weeks before she was due to go to London were quite uncomfortable for Lily. Petunia refused to speak to her and spent most of her time shut up in her room upstairs. When she did go out, she left the house so quietly that her sister hardly realized she was gone.

Lily could deal with being shunned, however. It was her parents who were the worst. Although she knew they meant well, she couldn't help being aggravated when her mother tried to hint (for the tenth time in a given day) how nice it would be to see "that Potter boy" again.

"I'd be delighted to have him over for tea," she would happen to mention to Mr. Evans just as Lily was coming down for breakfast. "Or even better, dinner. God knows what his family is feeding him, he looks deplorably thin."

As if this wasn't enough, after a few days she began adding in, "So deplorably thin. Hopefully he'll find a nice girl to take care of him, yes, I do hope he'll find a nice girl to do that."

After two weeks she would immediately follow this comment by saying, "Lily, could you be a nice girl and get Mummy a bit of butter and a spreading knife?" Lily was half-expecting to wake up one day to find her mother showing her designs for wedding dresses. But Mrs. Evans finally seemed to give up hope around late August. When they went out to dinner for Lily's birthday, she didn't mention James Potter once.

Finally the day arrived when Lily had to go to London. Her stuff had long since been packed. She was bringing a massive truck filled with old books, her clothes, her cauldron, and various other odds and ends she would need over the course of the year. She also brought a cage to hold her cat, Mephistopheles. She hated putting him in there, but she couldn't get him on the train otherwise.

Since her fifth year her parents had let her go alone as a "test of her independence." She loved riding through the countryside watching the hills roll by as the train chugged slowly towards the great city. Along the way she saw a massive flock of birds burst out from cover and soar across her view, a sight so arresting she thought it almost magical.

At last, she arrived at the noisy station. Black puffs of smoke rose up into the sky and threw shadows over the platform. As Lily walked out past the turnstiles she reviewed her schedule. First stop on her list was Diagon Alley, where she would buy a new bundle of school supplies. Next on her itinerary was a stop at her aunt Muriel's home for a brief visit.

She was supposed to give her aunt a present from her parents, which was inevitably a bottle of fine wine from France. Her aunt was, as she always reminded the other members of the family, "a connoisseur."

Finally, it would be back to the station and Platform 9 ¾, where she would be off for another year at Hogwarts, the place Lily loved more than any other in the whole world.

Diagon Alley was exactly as she remembered it, a boisterous winding street with dozens of incredible shops on either side. Every store—from Eeylop's Owl Emporium to Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor—seemed to burst with wizards and witches, especially at this time of year.

"Ten percen' off the sticke' price!" a man shouted at the corner. "Ten percen' off!" He was wearing a grandiose set of deep blue robes with golden stars and moons embroidered over the fabric and waving a banner whose letters glittered with unnatural light. She would have been more tempted had she not known Madam Valmar's sticker prices had a tendency to suddenly change just as one walked towards the register.

Of course, she supposed it could be worse. She had heard the clothing shops in Knockturn Alley not only changed sticker prices; the labels could perform their own Memory Charms, convincing the buyer that the price was what they had seen when they'd first picked it off the shelf.

She ducked into Flourish and Blotts to pick up her books. Mephistopheles curled down under a nearby table, only to be jolted out a second later when he spied an enormous and—to him, at any rate—rather appetizing specimen.

"No, not Wompy!" a voice cried out. Behind a massive stack of books that were trembling slightly and on closer inspection appeared to have mouths, a graceful figure appeared. Lily had always envied Alice Lochrin's natural ease of movement. Alice was Lily's oldest and truest friend at school.

"Sorry, Alice, but you know how he likes to chase after mice."

"He'd better not catch him, though," Alice answered warningly.

"I suppose you'd better hope Wompy's reflexes haven't slowed down over the summer."

Alice snorted. "Not a chance. I just hope he doesn't run circles around your cat and get Mephy all dizzy." Mephy was Alice's favorite put-down nickname for Mephistopheles, which she had coined in the third year. The cat still hissed whenever it was addressed to him directly, almost as if he could understand that it wasn't complimentary.

"Have you got all your books?" Lily asked. By this time Alice was reaching up to grab the highest book on the trembling stack, which growled at her but then began purring tranquilly when she stroked the spine.

"Ah, not all of them yet…"

"Well come on, hurry up then. I have to get through shopping a bit early, I need to see my aunt in town afterwards before getting to the train." Alice grinned and handed Lily her list.

"You go from the bottom, I'll go from the top." The two girls moved around the store shelves, quickly gathering all the volumes Alice needed. Lily was relieved to find that none of her other books appeared to be living.

"Why so much stuff?" she asked as they stood in line. "You must have half the magical library at Hogwarts this year."

"Oh, well, the 7th-year Auror-path stuff is pretty advanced…you saw how many Defense Against the Dark Arts books I needed." Indeed, Alice had one whole bag filled with tomes such as _Crucial Counter-Hexes_ and _Recognize and Retaliate: The Best Defense is a Good Offense._

"Some of them are optional reading, too, but I just wanted to make sure I do well this year," Alice went on.

"You're going to be quite an Auror," Lily said. Alice looked quite pleased at the comment. They paid for their books and walked out of the shop together with several heavy bags on each arm.

"Say, Lily," Alice began shyly.

"Yeah, what?"

"Do you think—is it alright—I mean, would people laugh if I went out with someone in the 6th year?"

Lily stared at her friend. Was she really asking her for romantic advice? When the only boy she seemed capable of attracting was James Potter, whom she had loudly told two years ago she would never date?

She fumbled with her words. "Erm, what do you—well, I guess it's—I mean, _I _wouldn't make fun of—" Apparently this wasn't the answer that Alice wanted to hear, as she began pouting.

"I mean, who is it?" Lily finally asked, hitting the important question.

Alice blushed and, after a quick look around to make sure no one was listening, whispered, "Frank Longbottom."

"No! Not that quiet boy who gave you the flower after—" And the two girls pressed their heads together and began talking excitedly as they strolled down the street.

An hour later they were still discussing Alice's burgeoning relationship with Frank Longbottom as they gathered up all the supplies they needed for Potions in the Apothecary. As usual, the shelves were stocked full of various and sundry powerful magical substances, ranging from sweet-smelling herbs to some exceptionally foul substances. All together the place seemed to smell like a refrigerator gone to rot, full of spoiled vegetables and bad eggs.

"Now who's the one with the full load?" Alice joked, head poking around the pile that Lily had dumped unceremoniously into the cart. Amidst the common forest herbs and various animal byproducts were a few exotic items that were quite expensive. Lily had wanted to acquire some for ages—particularly the unicorn hairs and acromantula venom that were supposed to be incredibly potent additions to any number of potions. She even had a few ideas for mixtures that she had never seen in any book of potions.

"Oh, I just thought of some experiments I'd like to do," she answered noncommittally. Alice groaned. Lily's penultimate experiment last year had resulted in strange orange flames burning out half of the Gryffindor common room.

"It won't be like last year," she insisted, remembering how she had become a pariah at school due to her responsibility for the event known ominously as the "Fourth Floor Stink."

"Just don't mix toad-spit and Fire mushrooms together ever again, Lily. Please. You destroyed my favorite armchair, and just when we were old enough that we could bully people into making them give them up."

Lily tried to calm her friend, but Alice continued to stare suspiciously at the pile, as if trying to spot the characteristic dark green labels that indicated a vial of toad-spit. She turned around as a voice from behind startled her.

"Pardons, pardons. If it please—"

"We're not interested," Alice said hastily, but the man continued on as Lily turned around to examine him. He had a thick frame and a somewhat hunched appearance, although perhaps this was caused by his overly large and overbearing shoulders. His face, however, was drawn into an unctuous smile.

"If it please," he continued. "I produce this powder—" He removed a small container from within his robes and opened it to reveal a dust-like mix in all the colors of the rainbow. "With just a pinch of this pepper, one can produce Draughts of Pity, Prosperity, even Popularity. 'Tis a most potent part of the most pestilent and putrid and panegyric potions that can be prepared. One parcel puts you out but a pittance—"

His lips contorted oddly as he spoke, as if struggling against some curse, and suddenly Lily realized what was wrong with him.

"_Lexico Normalis_!" she said, tapping his upper lip with her wand.

"Oh, thank you, dear girl, thank you! I hate it when they force me to use the _Alliterati_ Charm, it feels like there are eels crawling in your mouth telling you what to say." He wandered off happily, not approaching anyone else in line.

"What was that all about, do you think?" Alice wondered. Lily shrugged. It didn't seem in character for the Apothecary's owners to require their employees to use an _Alliterati_ Charm on themselves.

"I swear, this place gets stranger every year I come back," Lily said. Before she could puzzle out where the stranger had come from or what he could have been selling, she suddenly heard a loud rumble from behind them. A panicked-looking clerk suddenly rushed out from the back, flinging off his soiled apron.

"Avalanche of enchanted shrunken troll heads! Everybody run!" he screamed, before mass hysteria broke out. Lily spared one quick glance backwards at the large gray soccer-ball-sized masses that were tumbling down the aisles and exploding into bursts of smoke and stone before she joined the mass running outside.

***

It took a while for things to settle down. They had needed several powerful shield charms to slow down and trap the troll heads, which despite being quite dead managed to remain extremely malevolent. Apparently the frightened clerk had set them off by placing heads that belonged to enemy tribes too close together, which had resulted in the whole pile tumbling apart.

The store itself gave off the impression of an abandoned building, with windows smashed and ingredients strewn all over the floor. Alice and Lily paid for the ingredients that they had taken while fleeing the store, and then continued back to the entrance to Diagon Alley.

"Well, I reckon that's everything—"

"Oi! Just the girl I wanted to see!" a boisterous shout sounded from behind them. Lily put her hand to her forehead as if she was suddenly experiencing a nasty headache and groaned.

"Black," she said, without a trace of affection.

"Well, she got me alright," he said, cracking a smile in Alice's direction. Lily couldn't help but notice her friend return it. As enamored as she was with Frank Longbottom, it was apparent that she was not immune to Sirius's charms.

Sirius Black was about a head taller than either of the girls, with dark locks of hair that framed a clean-shaven face. In Lily's mind the first words that came were "ruffian and troublemaker." Unfortunately, most other girls seemed quicker to think "rugged and handsome."

"As it happens, Evans, you're just the girl I wanted to talk to—not that I don't enjoy your company as well, Alice, if truth be told you're usually a good deal more pleasant to deal with—"

Lily coughed. "Er, yes, anyways, digressions aside. You know, Lily, that a certain mutual friend of ours happened to visit you during the summer to deliver a bit of news to you."

"Yes, what of it?"

"Well, when he came back I asked him what had happened and he seemed remarkably recalcitrant and short on detail. 'Oh, nothing, just told her and gave her the badge.' But you know, I couldn't help noticing how said friend was away for quite a bit longer than it would have taken to do _just_ that."

"Brilliant, I didn't know you could read a clock, Sirius. Good to see you learned something new over the summer—"

"Lily, Lily, you wound me," Sirius announced dramatically. "I only ask because I suspect there's a story there. A story that, for some reason, James wouldn't tell me. And I'm afraid if you won't tell me either, I'll have to start being very suspicious. Have to start wondering what kind of, em, private matters could seal both your lips."

Alice turned to Lily. "You and James finally—"

"No," Lily interjected quickly. "James and I didn't do anything." Then she registered what Alice had said. "And _what_ exactly do you mean 'finally'?"

Sirius turned to Alice with a look of some interest and said, "So you noticed too, huh? Always said those two were destined for each other, it's sometimes like she's the only one that can't see it, eh? I tell you—"

"Oh, get off it, Sirius. If you must know, my parents invited him in for tea. That's the only thing that took an extra bit of time, thank you very much. And from now on, keep your imagination out of my relationships." Lily grabbed Alice by the arm and tried to drag her off.

"So," Sirius said casually as they walked off, "You're calling it a relationship now."

"_What?_" She spun around angrily.

"I'm only saying, you called it a relationship. You and James, I mean. Hm. James and Lily, Lily and James. I'm not sure which order sounds better. I like the ring of it either way, really—"

Lily drew her wand, and Sirius backed away hastily, almost tripping on a cart full of melons. Its goblin owner angrily dressed Sirius down, to her immense amusement, and by the time he managed to extricate himself he had somehow ended up buying a barrel of apples.

"Listen, Sirius, I'm not in the mood for your first-year sense of humor right now. But if we really must talk about James's visit, I actually have a few questions of my own."

Sirius shrugged some of the hair out of his vision and bit into an apple. "Wow, he's actually right, these really are the best apples I've ever tasted—"

"Don't change the subject now. I want to know why James came. He gave some puffed-up excuse about all the owls being sick, but don't think I bought that for a second."

Sirius's first attempt at an answer came out something like, "Brrrrooo, tthhiiilllsss tttrrrrbboooo."

"No, it's true," he said after swallowing the bite. "There's something strange about the owls, that's what Dumbledore told us when he visited at James's house. He said he wanted to personally deliver the badge since they were having some trouble with the letters. You must have noticed, all our school letters came on Hogsmeade owls this year. Bit late, weren't they?"

Lily paused to consider the answer. It was true, the owls had come a bit late this year.

"I wonder what's going on," she muttered.

"You're not the only one. I talked to Hagrid, saw him down at the Leaky Cauldron. He says apparently the owls are afraid of something in the Dark Forest, something bad. He says the Ministry even sent a special hunter to Hogwarts this year to sort out whatever's there."

"A…hunter?"

"Yeah. I forget what Hagrid called him. He had a strange name, Whacky Ring Fur or something. Apparently he's living in the Forest trying to track whatever's in there. I figure it must be some dark creature, or else why would even birds be scared to fly over it?"

Lily turned to Alice, who seemed troubled by this news. Care of Magical Creatures was one of her friend's best subjects, and she would probably know about anything that could frighten owls.

Alice, however, only shook her head. "I've never heard of anything like that. But it could be he's telling the truth, I've heard from other people that their letters came late too, it did seem strange this year."

Lily paused to remember her other questions.

"But wait—if Dumbledore wanted to personally deliver the news, then why didn't he come himself to see me?"

"If you can't answer that question for yourself, I'm not sure you deserve that badge," Sirius said.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked, her eyes flaring at the perceived insult to Lily.

"Dumbledore didn't come, because _James_ asked if he could do the job himself. Apple?" He held out the barrel towards Alice, who took one somewhat reluctantly.

"It's not like they're bewitched, you just saw me buy them," Sirius said. Alice was clearly remembering the prank during their fourth year when James and Sirius, along with their friends Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, had bewitched all the apples at Halloween dinner to be filled with Ton-Glue. Lily still remembered trying to yell at them while her tongue was stuck to the top of her mouth and they laughed uproariously.

"Honestly, brightest witches in our year, but sometimes I think you can't see the werewolf right in front of you," he said.

"I thought the saying was 'dragon right in front of you,'" Alice said.

"Really?" Sirius cocked his head to the side. "Funny, I'm quite sure it was—but maybe I'm mistaken, I do get confused."

He seemed to dismiss that concern. "In any case, I haven't gotten anything yet, and it seems you ladies are fully prepared. I'll see you on the train."

"Hey, Sirius—"

"Yeah, what, Evans?"

"Thanks." She paused, and then finished awkwardly, "For the—the truth." He just shrugged.

"And don't let me catch you trying to set off any Dungbombs on the train!" she shouted after him. He turned back and gave her a look as if to say, _Oh please. I'm not an amateur._

"That boy is hopeless. And I can't believe you were smiling at him like that, when you just told me you liked this Frank Longbottom—"

The rest of their conversation as they left Diagon Alley was filled with Alice's vehement denials and protestation.


	4. The Great Tom Riddle

Chapter Four – The Great Tom Riddle

Lily felt increasingly uneasy as the train pulled away from Platform 9 ¾. The bright Hogwarts crest on the seatback behind her made her feel slightly better, knowing she was going back to the school. _But is it the same school I remembered?_

So much seemed wrong. Not dramatically different, but just slightly off somehow. The fact that owls would no longer fly from Hogwarts was by itself something odd, but now it seemed like a premonition of some calamity. She had read enough books to understand that animals had a strange magic all to their own, an ability to recognize approaching danger.

_And there's something in the woods, something bad enough that a special wizard has been appointed to hunt it. _ That news was also unsettling to her. While the forest was normally forbidden to students, the rule was rarely followed and even more rarely enforced. As Head Girl, she would have to be extra-diligent.

_Especially_, she reflected glumly, _since James isn't likely to be much help with rule-breakers._ Although she hated to admit it, he had the magical talent and commanded enough respect to deserve the position of Head Boy. The only question was whether he could ever do his job properly.

Of course, she didn't want to think too much about James Potter. For he more than anything else was one of those things that had changed slightly. Not completely, just a little bit. She had sensed it when he had visited her over the summer, something different in his demeanor, although she couldn't quite put a finger on what it was.

She shuddered. _It almost felt pleasant to be around him_. She tried to shut that train of thought down as quickly as it came. No doubt Alice would be beside herself to hear it. Not to mention what Magwyn Dunter or Jennifer Bones would say. _"We knew it! Finally—"_

And there was that word again, 'finally.' It had not exactly been a surprise when Alice had said it, but it still disturbed her. _Do they really all expect me to end up with James?_ she wondered.

She never got a chance to finish her thoughts. No sooner had she and Alice picked a cabin then Magwyn and Jennifer found them. Gwyn and Jen were both Quidditch players, Chasers for their respective Houses. She was happy to see her friends and eager to hear about their summers.

But the first thing out of Gwyn's mouth was, "Lily! Congrats on the Head-Girl-ship, but you know you have to sit in the front cabin now."

"What?" She had completely forgotten that the Head Boy and Head Girl rode together in a separate cabin at the front of the train.

"Yeah, some good, ehm, alone time you can spend getting your agendas together. Choosing how to rule the school." Gwyn grinned wickedly and Jennifer blushed slightly as they took their seats.

Lily scowled. "Very funny, Gwyn."

"Oh, do tell James 'Hello' for us," she called out as Lily left the car and began trooping up to the front passage.

All hopes that James had chosen to break the rules (hardly unexpected for him) and sit with his friends in their customary cabin were dashed when she pulled open the door and discovered him lounging across one of the benches.

"Evans, never thought you'd get here. I almost wondered whether you'd missed the train. Would have been the first time in Hogwarts history that Head Girl had to show up late—"

"Har har. Funny, Potter." She sat down across from him and scanned the cover of the magazine he was reading.

"_Witch Weekly_?! Are you serious?"

"I just found it on the seat," he said. "And without the joy of your company I got a bit lonely and decided to read a bit."

Lily thought about cracking a joke about how, with Sirius learning how to tell time and his learning how to read, the two of them had had quite a summer. But for some reason she suppressed that desire.

He put the magazine aside and gave her a curious once-over. "So, how was the rest of your summer?"

She shrugged noncommittally. "Worse than yours was, I'm sure."

"Oh," he said. "Hopefully your sister forgot about that little bit of unpleasantness? I meant to tell her I was sorry but she never—"

"Be glad you didn't waste your breath. My parents weren't lying when they said she hates magic, she hasn't really talked to me since—" Lily suddenly stopped. Why had she just said that?

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't really realize that's how it was."

"Not your problem," she said shortly.

"Do you—do you want to talk about it?" His voice was strained.

"Not really."

"It's just—I mean, I understand," he said. _How can you_? her temper flared.

"I mean," he went on. "I've seen how Sirius gets treated by his family, sometimes. His brother, Regulus, you know, in Slytherin. He doesn't ever really let people see it bothers him, but I can tell it hurts. I mean, it's his brother, how could it not?"

Lily was shocked when he reached over and touched her hand gently. "So I really am sorry. I'm not just saying it. If I had a Time-Turner I'd go back and give myself a good whack on the head, it was a really stupid thing to do—"

Her expression softened. "No, it's really not your fault. Petunia—she'll just never be used to that, but it's a prejudice. You shouldn't have to apologize for it."

She stared out the window and watched the fog roll by. Soon enough they'd be out of the city, and then it would clear up and show the green valleys that she remembered so well. They sat in silence for some time.

"My grandparents live around here," he said suddenly. Lily's head jerked back from the rich meadows, glimmering with gold as the sunlight struck the dew.

"Really?"

He nodded. "I mean, my family lives in London. But the folks have a farm out here. They raise sheep, cattle, chicken, some turkeys. The Muggle way, it's kind of seen as an oddity amongst the rest of the family."

She laughed. "Muggle meat."

He laughed as well. "Exactly. It actually gets really good prices. Restaurants like it, you know. They like saying, "No magical additives," so it feels like something most wizards and witches feel like they couldn't cook up at home. 'Au naturel' and all that."

"So they don't use magic?"

"Not for that part, at least," he said. "I mean, it's not like my Gramps is on his knees scrubbing dirt off the kitchen floor." He chuckled. "That would be a sight."

They fell silent again, and Lily took the time to inspect him. His jaw was set quite firmly, she noted. Again she had the impression that he was slightly nervous. His shoulders seemed somewhat stiff, although his lean frame appeared relaxed when he leaned back into his seat.

"There's something different about you," she mused.

"Is there?"

"A little something. I'm not sure what it is yet."

"I hope it's a good thing."

"Not sure of that, either." Because his expression seemed so crestfallen, she added, "I'm pretty sure it's not bad, though."

The quiet between them grew more and more oppressive by the minute. Finally he spoke.

"I'm trying to change, you know."

"James Potter? Trying to change? That's impossible!"

He looked vaguely offended, and asked, "Why?" There was a defiant air to his eyes.

"Because the James Potter I thought I knew could most definitely be described by one word."

She grinned. "Incorrigible."

Even he had to laugh at that. "Yes, well everything has to change sooner or later, no?"

"That's good to hear," she said. Although when she observed the way his eyes peered into hers, she knew that some things, at least, definitely had not changed one bit.

"I know you must be wondering."

"Wondering what?"

"Why Dumbledore made me Head Boy."

Truth be told, Lily had wondered about it a time or two. Most often when she was thinking how she would possibly maintain discipline in the school with him as her back-up.

"Like most things," he said, "There's a bit of a story behind it. If you want to hear it."

She leaned forward, and he went on. "So at the end of last term, Dumbledore called me up to his rooms. Password is _Limey Licorice_, by the way, or at least it was when we left school. He sat me down and said he wanted to talk to me.

He started talking about the Head Boy and Head Girl for next year. I told him I thought Remus and you would make a good duo—"

She scoffed, "And not yourself?"

"No, seriously," he said, wounded. "I mean, it made perfect sense for it to be you, you're talented, you have the kind of magical ability, I don't know if anyone in the school can say they have more. But you're also kind, you help others, you're not selfish—" He tailed off awkwardly. Lily looked down at her feet, suddenly feeling a prickling sensation all over her skin.

"And I mean, I won't lie, I thought about myself for Head Boy. But when I thought about it, I couldn't really say for sure why it should be. I mean, Sirius is just as talented as me, and maybe more. He can do some magic it would take me years to learn. Remus is at least as good, and he's a better man than me. There are—certain reasons, certain difficulties I know about that you don't, that he's had to overcome—"

"His mother, you mean? I know she's very sick, it must be hard on him."

"I just, I couldn't really see why it should be me. I knew there were better people, and particularly for that job—"

Lily scrutinized his expression. His face seemed perfectly sincere, and his voice was filled with an odd emotion that she hadn't heard from him before.

"Remus deserved it more than I did, more than I ever could. You have to believe me, he's my friend, practically like a brother to me. I love him too much to lie about these things." There was something fierce in his voice when he said that, a surety that she had once attributed to his arrogance.

Finally she said, "I believe you."

"Anyways, that's what I told Dumbledore. And he kind of puts his hand to his chin and looks like he's thinking about it, then he says, 'I'd like to show you something.' Have you ever seen a Pensieve?"

She shook her head, so he explained what it did.

"In any case, he wanted to show me a memory of his. It was of a past Head Boy, one who since has gone on to be a great wizard. A great wizard, but a terrible, evil one." James shuddered, and Lily started when she knew who he was talking about.

"_Him_?"

"He was Head Boy at Hogwarts, did you know that?" She hadn't, it came as a quite a shock.

"Dumbledore showed me some stuff he remembered from that time, and the more I saw the more I realized that he was like me. He was good, but he was so confident, so sure of himself. And the more I saw the more I realized that he was _exactly_ like me."

Half of her wanted to scream, _Finally, you realized it, what I've been saying all these years. You're arrogant, a bully, you think too much of yourself, that kind of stuff always leads you down the path to the Dark Arts_. But another half of her saw the flecks of light trembling in his eyes, watched with a surreal fascination as he turned his head away, and wanted to enfold him in her arms and tell him everything was alright.

"Finally Dumbledore lets me out. And I sit there, completely stunned. I can't say anything. And then he says, 'Well, what do you think?' And I don't know, I can hardly think. I keep thinking, _I don't deserve it at all. Look at him, he was just like me, look what he became_. All I can say is, 'I never knew.'

He nods and then says at last, 'I have a mind to make you Head Boy.' By now I'm really confused, I can't understand why he would do that. How could he do that, after he just showed me the reason why I didn't deserve it at all?"

Lily stared at him. Never in all the time they had known each other had she ever actually had a real conversation with him. It was generally just antagonistic banter. Truthfully, she hadn't even thought it would be possible to truly _talk_ to James Potter.

"And he says, 'I think you've finally realized that sometimes goodness matters as much as greatness in a man. And sometimes a good deal more.' And it was…it was like, I realized that all these years at school I've wanted to be the best, I wanted to write my name in the history books as a great wizard, I wanted the kind of power that other wizards could only dream of attaining." His expression twisted into an anguished snarl. "He probably had the same fantasies."

She didn't know what to say, and after a long pause he started up again.

"I told him I didn't deserve it, that this was all the more reason Remus should be Head Boy. He only said he'd think it over. And a month later he was standing on my doorstep with that badge in his hand."

James smiled bitterly. "So that's the answer to the question, Evans. All of them. It's why I became Head Boy, it's probably why you feel like I've changed. Because Dumbledore wanted to teach me a lesson. Wanted to show me that you've been right all these years, and I've been wrong." He gazed intently into her eyes, and then dropped down to look at the floor.

"You can start laughing at me now," he finished, his head bowed.

A dozen conflicting desires arose inside her. A large part of her felt vindicated and triumphant. However, it felt as if an equally great part of her felt ashamed of those emotions, and another part of her felt an onrush of sympathy and understanding for the boy sitting across from her, who looked so defeated.

Her hand trembled as she reached across the space between them. She wasn't sure what she meant to do until her fingers cupped his cheek gently. He head shot up, surprise written on his face.

"I'm not going to laugh at you, James. You're—" The words were out of her before she realized she had said them. "You're being too hard on yourself."

He didn't say anything for what seemed like ages. When he finally spoke she could hardly hear what he said, so soft was his whispered thanks.


	5. An Incomplete Rehabilitation

Chapter 5 – An Incomplete Rehabilitation

The train doors burst open and a flood of boys and girls in wizarding robes stepped out and began milling out onto the platform. Had there always been so many? And had the first-years always been this short?

"Look, I found a pint-sized wizard! I wonder if I can take him home with me," James joked as they walked off the train together. Truth be told, Lily was glad he was back to his old joking self. Their moment on the train had been somewhat uncomfortable, and they had ridden in silence the rest of the way to Hogwarts. Her emotions were caught up in a confused swirl as they descended.

"Hey, you! I saw that dungbomb!" James pulled the offending object out of the hand of a third-year with thick eyebrows and a nasty glower.

"Firs' years! Firs' years!"

Lily caught a glimpse of Hagrid when she turned her head towards that familiar voice. Looming like a giant over the small students who were tentatively approaching him, his beard—if possible—even more disheveled than last year, Hagrid wore a broad smile and a thick set of furs from who knew what creatures.

"Miss Evans! Good ta see yer back at the ol' Hogwarts! And I see they made yeh Head Girl. Couldn'a picked better meself."

She smiled up at him. "Take good care of the kids, Hagrid."

She turned back and found James swirling around the middle of a crowd of students, pointing two fair-haired girls towards the lake.

"C'mon, sis!" one of them shouted excitedly.

"You ever notice how rare twin wizards are?" James mused as she approached.

"Are they?"

"Well you don't see many, do you?"

Long lines of bobbing lanterns lit the way, following the gradual movements of their bearers towards the carriages that would take the rest of the students to the school.

"I'll see you there," James said, disappearing into an opened cabin. She was treated to a flash of Sirius Black's perpetual grin and Remus Lupin's rather tired half-smile before the door shut.

Lily walked a few steps forward before hearing her name called.

"Hey, Lily! C'mon, we saved you a seat!"

Stepping into the carriage, she found herself next to Gwyn and across from Alice and Alyssa Bagnold, a seventh-year Ravenclaw.

"Glad it isn't raining like last year, it _ruined_ my hair," Gwyn was saying.

"Oh, get off of it. You just used a dry and decurl spell once we got inside."

Gwyn pouted. "Still. And besides, I didn't know that spell the year before."

Lily laughed, glad once again to be among friends. Alice's love life was apparently the initial topic of choice, since Gwyn had managed to wheedle the news about Frank Longbottom out of her on the train ride.

"He's handsome enough, I suppose, and he's the right amount taller than you—"

Alice immediately demanded, "The right amount for _what_?" But the comment only caused Gwyn to sigh.

"Nothing, dear."

Alice sat back, a somewhat dissatisfied expression on her face. "Besides, I'm surprised you think height is such a big deal, I saw you snogging Edgar Hollis last year—"

Apparently she'd touched a sore spot, because Gwyn's face flamed red and Alyssa started laughing.

"To be fair, it's not even a question of him being so short, it's really more your fault."

"I can't hold it against you, though, "Alice was saying. "I suppose the supply of men who would be the right height above you would be small indeed, no?"

It was true. Gwyn's most distinguishing characteristic was her height. She stood taller than most boys in their class, probably a good hand taller than James. Lily was annoyed to find that he was the first comparison to pop into her head.

Gwyn said, "Well, the way I see it, it has to be the right distance difference. I suppose it can be one way, or the other."

"In Alice's case, if it went the other way she would be kissing goblins," Lily joked. Alice was the shortest of their group, a hair under five-two.

"Did you hear about the owl problem at school?" Lily asked suddenly. She wanted to know what other people had heard about it.

"Yeah, I heard someone hexed them all. Powerful bit of magic, to hex a hundred owls or more—"

"No, it can't have been," Gwyn interjected. "Because owls that arrive at Hogwarts don't want to leave either."

"So it's a hex on the _room_—"

"It can't be a hex at all, those tend to wear out, don't they? It's something else."

"We heard there might be something in the woods," Alice said. Gwyn and Alyssa both focused their attention on her.

"In the woods?"

"Some—some animal, some kind of creature that makes the owls afraid to leave. Afraid to even fly over the woods."

"That doesn't sound right, have we ever heard of anything that can do that?"

"No," Lily admitted. "But it's not like we ever read through the whole _Magical Creatures and Their Various Magics_, did we?"

Gwyn and Alyssa shook their heads, but Alice only looked down.

"Who'd you hear this from anyway?" Gwyn asked.

"Sirius Black."

She threw her hands up in the air. "There's your answer then, he was just spouting off rubbish like he always does—"

"You fell for it easily enough last year, though, when you were in the tea shop during Easter week—"

"That was diff—!"

Laughter erupted from the carriage as the trio began to review Gwyn's various conquests over past years.

"And there was Hornvarger, Prount, Visby…don't forget Baddock from Slytherin, or that Sawbridge—"

"I _did not_ with Baddock, I swear—"

Lily loved no time more than the time she spent with her friends. At moments like this she often felt as if nothing bad was happening in the outside world, as if the terrible rumors of Lord Voldemort were nothing less than a tale told to frighten children, as if she would wake up tomorrow and it would all have been less than a dream.

With them she felt safe, and for those precious minutes nothing in the world could assail them.

Unfortunately, the other three girls finally seemed to realize that they had exhausted the possible topics in their own lives but hadn't yet discussed any of Lily's prospects.

"So, Miss Evans, I hear a certain someone is Head Girl…"

"…and a certain _someone_ is Head Boy," Alyssa finished Gwyn's sentence.

"And what's this about him visiting you over the summer?" Alice asked, before Lily could cut her off.

"He _what_?"

Lily said, "There's nothing there, get off of it. You know I don't like him." Unfortunately she couldn't put as much conviction into the last sentiment as she normally had, confused as she was about the James she had encountered over the summer and again on the train.

"So. There was this group of first-years milling around and one of them happened to ask me whether Head Boy and Head Girl were married. You know, like a king and a queen of Hogwarts." Alyssa chuckled.

"Of course," Gwyn went on, "I told them that wasn't how it was at all."

"But then she said, 'Although with this year you might not be far off,'" Alice said.

"Oh God," Lily said.

"Listen, it's about time we really had an honest answer out of you. Look, no matter what you say you can't deny what you've done. You've refused to go out with other boys—"

"Even perfectly fine-looking ones," Alyssa added.

"Homer Skively was a fourth-year!" Lily hissed.

"Well, yes. But he was tall for his age."

"Oh God," she said again.

"And even though you yell at him when other people are watching, he keeps pursuing you, you must be encouraging him somehow—"

"It's because of that stupid Quidditch game. Being a Chaser has addled his brains, he only thinks about running after things."

"Speaking of another point of evidence," Gwyn barreled on. "Your eyes follow him at every Quidditch match—"

"Do not!" she shouted.

"I've paid attention," Gwyn declared soundly, as if that was all the proof she needed.

"It's okay, there's nothing wrong with liking Quidditch players—" Just at that moment, the door banged open. Lily realized the carriages had stopped, and shuffled across her seat. Not watching where she was going, she stepped out and almost ran into—

Standing right in front of their carriage was none other than James Potter. Behind him, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were arrayed in a half-circle.

"Woah now," he said. He held out a hand, which Lily refused to take as she got out.

"Ladies," he continued, with a small bow of the head. Alice, Alyssa, and Gwyn all took his hand on the way out, although with Gwyn's height she couldn't have needed to step down.

"I think you'd better come with us, Evans."

"Why?" She peered suspiciously at his expression. A bit of the old rogue's grin was settling into his eyes.

"Well, let's just say—um—look, I meant what I said on the train, but let's just say insofar as I've changed, it's been an…incomplete rehabilitation."

"What did you do, Potter," she growled angrily.

"I'm trying to be a better person," he went on. "But I still like to have my fun…"

Alyssa, Alice, and Gwyn were moving off with the rest of the students towards the castle, but James started going off in the opposite direction, the other three boys following closely behind.

"We're supposed to go _that _way," she pointed out.

"Just follow me. We just need someone to help carry the blankets—"

"What did you do?"

"It's harmless, really, and all Sirius's idea besides—"

Lily groaned as she was dragged along to the waterfront. Already she could see the first-years' boats coming up across the lake. The glint of their lanterns ran tracks across the rippling water, like guidelines tugging them to shore.

"Tell—me—what—you—did."

"Just some invisible holes in the bottoms of the boats—" Sirius explained.

"You call sinking the entire first-year class a _harmless_ prank?!"

"I swear they won't sink, I put a _Bernoulli_ Charm on the holes so the water will only come in just fast enough to give them a good scare—"

James seemed quite pleased with himself, and Lupin only had a sort of exasperated expression. She couldn't believe it. There was no hint of the person she had spoken to on the train. This was most definitely the same old insufferable James Potter she remembered.

"This is unbelievable!" she exclaimed. She turned to Lupin.

"And you let this happen! You, a Prefect!"

"I couldn't find a rule that forbade sinking the boats, you know. And I really looked through the rule book front and back."

"He paid more attention the back way, really," Sirius laughed. Peter chuckled sycophantically behind him.

"Remus is right, of course," he said. "I looked in the book as well, couldn't find a thing."

"Yes, Wormtail, with his masterful knowledge of the rules," Sirius mused.

"I'd think it would be you," James said.

"Me?" Sirius sounded astonished.

"Got to know them to break them, Padfoot."

When they reached the shore Lily inspected the surroundings and noticed that they had lined up several boxes full of blankets behind some odd formations of stones.

"What are those—"

Before the question was fully out of her mouth, Sirius turned around and touched his wand to the first grouping. "_Lumos Silica!_" The oddly smooth, black rocks suddenly blossomed with a fiery light in the shape of a _W_.

"Well, come on," he said with a hint of irritation. "I'm not going to do all these myself, start at the other end."

Lily watched as the four of them quickly moved out over the formation. Peter walked all the way to the end and muttered the incantation, lighting up an _S_ that glowed softly some five meters away.

"Well, Evans, give us a hand," James said.

"I'm not going to help with one of your adolescent pranks, Potter." By this point James had lit the _HOG_ and Lily realized what they were spelling. Finally they finished and she heard Sirius grunt in outrage.

"Welcome to Hogarts? What happened to the _W_ there?"

"I'm sorry, Sirius, it just won't light up completely." Peter muttered the spell again and tapped the stone. The light rose from the tip of his wand and extended down as far as the bridge, but then faded away.

Sirius hurriedly fixed the letter himself and then said, "Alright, then. And now we wait."

They didn't have to stand there very long. Lily was grateful for that, as the wind that blew out over the lake could suddenly turn cold at night. As the boats truly came into sight, she saw that the students in every boat were frantically paddling with their bare hands, drawing the boats in closer to the shore.

Hagrid, meanwhile, was bellowing, "No need ter panic, now! Just slow an' steady'll do it, slow an' steady!" She could see the lamplight reflecting not only on the water around the boats now, but on the rather alarming amount of water _in_ the boats. Most students were soaked up to the middle of their calves.

"Look, a welcomin' party!" Hagrid called out. Sirius guffawed at that one, while she walked out towards the shallows and started pulling in boats.

"Thanks for that bit o' help," Hagrid said as they beached. "I wasn' sure we'd make it."

She glared daggers back at James.

"No, they would have without us, I swear. The Charm was just right," he said.

"So it were you four who done it, eh? I oughta guessed."

"Ah, Hagrid, no need to be grumpy. You didn't get too wet, did you?" Instead of answering, Hagrid pulled a boot off and upended it over James's head. The rush of saltwater that soaked through his hair and pushed it down over his eyes made him gasp.

Sirius, Remus, and Peter were gasping as well, although with laughter, and even Lily had to admit it was pretty funny to see James standing there with a strand of seaweed clinging to his temple.

"I guess—" he finally said, "I deserved that one."

"Righ' you are. Now c'mon, kids."

Sirius beckoned over at the blankets and the first-years ran towards the boxes shivering.

"Welcome to Hogwarts!" his voice boomed out over the placid waters.

"Finest place in the world," James said wearily, brushing the damp strands of hair out of his eyes and wiping his glasses on the part of his sleeve that remained dry.


	6. The Howler

Chapter Six – The Howler

"No doubt the first-years will be arriving soon—ah yes, here they are!" Dumbledore's familiar rumble greeted them as they entered the Great Hall. The new students gasped in awe when they saw the ceiling, enchanted to appear like the sky above. By now Lily had grown accustomed to it, although it was no less beautiful.

"And let me take this opportunity to introduce our new Head Boy and Girl, who seem to have taken it upon themselves to escort our new students to the Feast."

Dumbledore's smile seemed almost coy when he said, "As Head Boy, I present you…James Potter!" Polite applause rippled throughout the room, although it ended quickly at the Slytherin table.

"A bit wetter than our previous Boy, but perhaps he'll do." Laughter rippled across the room as James turned red.

"And our new Head Girl, Lily Evans!" Alice and Gwyn enthusiastically led the Gryffindor table in a thunderous ovation at that announcement.

"Yes, yes, excellent, excellent," Dumbledore said. "Now students, if you have any questions or issues, do not hesitate to approach any of our authority figures, whether they be your House Prefects, the Head Boy or Girl, or a member of the staff. Your being here is the reason _we_ are all here, so do not hesitate to call upon our services.

And now, without further ado, let us begin the Sorting!"

Dumbledore sat down and Professor McGonagall took over. Lily looked to James, who inclined his head in the direction of the front of the Hall. Together, they herded the first-years up through the central aisle. Though they all gave off signs of being rather frightened, Lily couldn't help noticing that they also had a certain eagerness shining in their eyes. She could remember the feeling herself.

One boy, with curly red hair and brown eyes, seemed to have latched onto James's leg. "It's alright," he was saying, "the tests aren't like they said, trust me. You just put on the hat, really."

Professor McGonagall had already arranged the stool and hat, and as the first-years approached it burst into song.

Though diff'rence can easily make enemies—

For fear of those who are strange and stranger

It can just as certain hold the keys

To friendships beyond value in times of danger.

The wizards' world has oft forgot

This cardinal rule that ought guide us all

Thinking instead that the reasons we fought

Were for only our own interest's call.

Instead let me hold up as an ideal case

Four great and powerful mages who united

To create a powerfully magical place,

A school to which all sorts were invited.

Each founder held a common cause,

And yet a different strength each brought.

So here let me take this time and pause,

And explain the quality that each sought.

Hufflepuff, a witch like no other witch

Desired most those who loved not fame

Who loved the game but could leave the pitch

If work was to be done, and feel no shame.

Then Gryffindor, brave beyond the pale,

Called forth those with courage and no fear

Guardians of good, loyal without fail.

Far and wide he searched, to bring them here.

And Slytherin, true friend of the lion lord

Who unlike him prized the pure above all

Our blood was rare, and he thought to hoard

Those whose families entire were magical.

Last but not least, Ravenclaw scoured th'earth

For those who valued the mind and wit

To whom an empty shelf was a dearth

For whom a tome of old secrets was simply it.

And did they separate their chosen few?

No, but grouped them under the same token.

And now contemplate this riddle true:

Four links of diff'rent metal can ne'er be broken.

With the conclusion of the Hat's song, the first-years began to be called up to be sorted into their Houses. As the rest of the students turned eagerly towards the food and began packing in, occasional cries of "Hufflepuff!" or "Gryffindor!" rang out through the cavernous chamber.

Lily, Alice, and Gwyn enthusiastically clapped and cheered whenever a new Gryffindor was announced and took his or her seat at the end of the table. Lily watched as they put their heads together and whispered happily to each other, smiling as she recalled how she had begun making her own friends on just such a night, six years ago.

"So," Dorcas Meadowes, a singularly beautiful sixth-year witch was saying between bites of roast turkey, "What do you lot reckon is going on with Lord Voldemort?"

"I heard he was caught."

"Really?"

"Aurors, cornered him in Derbyshire."

"No joke?"

"Can someone pass the gravy?" Lily pushed the bowl in his direction and turned back to hear the discussion.

"Is it true? I haven't seen anything in the _Prophet_—"

"Ah, the _Prophet_'s behind the times, I had it from Joss Fenwick, who had it from Hobble and Hooper, whose parents are Unspeakables in the Ministry who're friends with a few Aurors."

"Well, that's a relief," Lily said.

"I'm not so sure this is all over," Gwyn said.

"How so? They've bagged him, this is over and done with. Another dark wizard neutralized—"

But Gwyn shook her head. "You know how powerful real, true dark wizards are? You know who the last major Dark Lord was…it took them almost a decade to defeat Grindelwald, he was more powerful than any single warlock besides Dumbledore."

"Maybe Voldy's just not as good," Lily pointed out, grinning as she reached out to tear a bit of bread off the loaf. Steam rose as she cracked the crust, and she caught a hint of a rich smell that reminded her of bakeries and pastry shops.

Alice appeared doubtful. "He's supposed to be the most powerful dark wizard, maybe ever—"

"Well," Harvey Nutcombe said. "I'm just tellin' you what I heard, you can believe it or not." He pushed his light blond hair to one side of his head and then turned away to talk to another group of students. Harvey was a Chaser on the Gryffindor team, prickly and proud.

"_Someone_'s sensitive," Gwyn said.

Lily suddenly realized that something was odd. When she scanned the table, she realized that James was nowhere to be seen. And equally worrisome was the fact that none of his friends were at the table either.

"Why are they not here?" she asked, pointing at their places across the table.

"Oh, I didn't notice. You should keep better track of your boyfriend, honey."

"He's _not_ my—"

"There's Sirius, at any rate," Alice said, gesturing over at the Hufflepuff table. And indeed, Sirius was sitting next to a seventh-year Hufflepuff girl that Lily recognized as Cali Capston.

"Oh, and of course Peter's with him."

Lily's eyes narrowed. "Well, that explains—"

"And there's Lupin, he's with the Ravenclaws. Looks like he fits in better than he does here, actually," Gwyn laughed.

Remus Lupin was indeed sitting in the center of the Ravenclaw table, talking quietly to three or four students from different years.

"What are they doing? They know we're supposed to sit by House during the feast."

"Ah, Lily, don't be upset just because your boyfriend chose to sit at the Slytherin table."

She was trying to come up with a quick retort when she finally processed that information.

"He's sitting _where_?"

"Look," Gwyn said by way of answer, waving a hand towards the green Slytherin banners.

James was scrunched in at the end of the bench, head bent over and whispering with one of the Slytherins. The name _Hans Patterson _sprung into her head. It didn't take long for Lily to recall that he was a member of the House Quidditch team. As if to confirm what they were discussing, James began moving a fork in the air as if miming a flying maneuver.

She also couldn't help noticing that Severus Snape, James's arch-enemy and a Slytherin Prefect, was sitting as far away as he possibly could, at the opposite end of the table.

"Of course, Quidditch," she breathed, exasperated. "Well, ordinarily I wouldn't care about this, but I'm surprised the professors haven't said anything. We're supposed to sit together."

Just then, his eyes caught hers. Despite quickly averting her gaze, she knew he had seen her. And sure enough, he began making his way towards the Gryffindor table.

"Wow, what a Summoning Charm. Wish you could show me how to do that one, Lily."

"_Gwyn_—" she growled warningly.

But even Alice wanted to get in on the fun, making a whiplash motion with her wand. Unfortunately for her, sparks cascaded from the end of it as a dish of blood pudding exploded in front of her.

"_Reparo_," she muttered hastily as other students began searching for the source of commotion. A few—including, Lily noted, Frank Longbottom—had been hit by the splash effect and were wiping their robes off.

"I'm sorry, let me clear that up for you…" And Alice was off hastily performing _Scourgify_ spells on her victims.

"Treacle tart?" James asked conversationally as he approached the table.

Lily shook her head. "What were you doing over at the Slytherin table?"

Ignoring her question, James sat down in Alice's vacated seat and said, "Come on, I know they're your favorite, right?"

Lily blushed and felt Gwyn's elbow not-so-subtly nudging her in the back. She gave her a sharp glare.

"Gwyn, excuse me, I believe you're poking me."

"Oh, sorry, sorry. Just reaching for some dessert, you know. Treacle tart's are your favorite too, eh?"

Lily turned back to James, stone-faced, and took one from the napkin he was holding out.

"You want one too, Magwyn?"

"I thought you'd never ask," her friend tittered, reaching around Lily's squared shoulders to extract one.

"What were you doing—"

"At the Slytherin table? Well, if you noticed, the Gryffindor house-elves seem to have neglected our need for treacle tarts today—" He gestured at the dessert trays on the table, which were indeed quite bereft of that treat.

"So," he finished, "I thought I'd raid the Slytherins. Like them the least, you know."

"Really?" Somehow Lily wasn't buying that explanation. "And Sirius, Peter, and Remus had to go raid different tables?"

"How else could we be sure we'd get what we wanted?"

"Don't play with me, James—"

"I would never think of doing such a thing, Lily." At this, Gwyn snorted from behind her and starting coughing. Lily pounded her on the back—perhaps a bit harder than was necessary.

"Are you alright, Gwyn? Feeling okay?"

"Mm…eh, yes, quite alright."

By this time, James was rising from his seat.

"Don't try to wheedle out of this, James. I know you're up to something, and I can't believe you would pull two pranks in one night after becoming Head—"

"I'm just getting up for Alice," he said.

"Thanks, James," Alice said, as he slid in behind him.

"No problem. And, for your information—" He directed this comment at Lily. "We're just trying to spend some more time with people from other Houses. Inter-House unity has always been a problem here at school, and I was thinking a big way to change that would be to not be so strict with the seating rules."

"Really."

"Yes, really."

"If anything explodes—"

"It won't, I promise. It's just an experiment. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about it, because I thought we might try to make this a more permanent thing. Really have it go year-round, see how people take to it."

"Am I hearing correctly?"

"Er—what d'y—"

"Is James Potter actually trying to come up with ideas to improve the school?"

The uncertain expression on his face suddenly vanished, and he said, "Maybe, just maybe."

"So does this newly accepting James plan on making his peace with Severus anytime soon?"

His face darkened at her words, and she regretted them for a moment. But then he said, with a hint of regret, "I've done some things to him over the year that need apologizing for, probably. I'm not so sure he'll be willing to talk to _me_, however."

After he had left, Gwyn spun around and said to Alice, "I've never seen two people more meant for each other."

"_Gwyn_—"

"Isn't it beautiful? We should send a submission in to Dani LaStelle, she could write out a romance novel about it."

"I'm about three seconds away from pulling out the nastiest hex I can find and—"

"_Hogwarts Sweethearts_…no that's too boring of a title. _Gryffindors in Love_…no, that sounds so generic…"

"_Gwyn_!"

"Oh, I have one. _To Love a Lily_…"

Before they could exhaust possible titles for the story of Lily's love life, Professor McGonagall began tapping her glass to silence the muffled rumble of conversation in the hall. Gwyn looked rather off-put at being interrupted. Lily felt a definite sense of relief.

Dumbledore was rising to speak again.

"I have but a few words for you tonight, before you all go on enjoying the lovely spread set out for us by our resident helpers." He harrumphed and adjusted his half-moon spectacles, and his beatific expression rearranged itself to appear deadly serious.

"I would have you understand that it is a great honor to be chosen to be a student of Hogwarts, just as the school itself will someday be honored to name you as one who walked through its halls. And I would also have you understand that while you are here, you are as safe as can be. This is a place of old magic."

He paused before going on. "However, the safety and security we feel here should not deteriorate into complacency or wishful, willful ignorance of the outside world. The fact is that we are not living in easy times. There are forces of darkness around us, forces that would seek to undo what good there is in this world."

Apparently the rumors of Voldemort's demise were far from true, if Dumbledore would caution them like this.

"And though," he said, "it may seem easy enough to forget that this is true while ensconced within these walls, we must never let ourselves fall into the trap. Some of you, our older students, have already begun thinking about what you will do after leaving. Undoubtedly, you have each found that every choice you make is influenced by the knowledge of how the world is. Many, I know, have begun preparing themselves to become Aurors."

He nodded towards the Gryffindor table in particular. It was well-known that their House produced more Aurors than any other, and that most of the sixth and seventh-year students were pursuing that path.

"So while I never want students' minds to become overburdened or miserable, or fraught with fear, I must ask you to do one thing. I must ask you to always remember that, though you are children of a long peace, you may also have to fight the battles someday soon to insure that _your_ children—and your children's children—can know peace as well."

He concluded on a lighter note. "I thank you for listening to the words of an old man, who dares think himself wiser than others. Now, before the doom and gloom spreads too far, let us remember that here we have made many friends, and will always find friends, if we are only willing to ask."

-000-

After the feast concluded the Prefects led the first-years up to their House dormitories. Since Lily was both a Prefect and the Head Girl, the task fell on her to direct the Gryffindors up to the familiar portrait of the Fat Lady.

Mercifully, this year's crop of students seemed remarkably well-behaved. The only annoyance was a little girl with eager blue eyes and raven-black hair who asked her, "Is it true the Head Boy and Head Girl are married?" on the way up the stairs.

Gwyn and Alice had gotten quite the kick out of that.

As Lily led the girls up to their dormitory, she spared a quick glance across at the boys, who were following James up to their tower. He caught her eye and winked as they disappeared around the spiraling staircase, and she averted her gaze before either her friends or the first-years realized whom she had been looking at.

Truth be told, Lily wasn't sure what to make of the idea of increasing House unity. She naturally supported the whole notion as a concept, but she wasn't sure how they could truly make it work. After all, Hogwarts students lived together, took classes together. They were like one big family. And if some pieces just naturally didn't get along, who could force them?

She couldn't help thinking about Petunia when the subject came up. _Some differences just can't be reconciled_, she thought sadly. And even the ones that could wouldn't necessarily be erased just because students could choose to sit at different tables. After all, they would naturally have more friends in their own House. It seemed like few students would move around anyways.

But she couldn't help noticing how relaxed James had seemed while talking to the Slytherins. It was even a shock of sorts, considering how deep the enmity between Gryffindor and Slytherin traditionally ran when it came to the pitch.

When they reached their room at last, with the familiar canopied beds done in rich shades of gold and crimson, she decided to ask her friends. While Gwyn and Alice were still packing their belongings into the trunk at the foot of the bed and rearranging their necessities, she started in on James's idea.

"Do you think this whole House-unity thing will really work?"

"I don't see why not," Alice said. "It would be good to be able to move around a little bit."

Gwyn shrugged. "It's not like all the handsome boys get thrown in Gryffindor, after all. Not saying that James isn't cute, Lily, we know you fancy—"

It was a credit to Lily's concentration that she didn't rise to the bait this time. "I'm serious, Gwyn. It would be a big change, but I think if we really tried we could make it happen. Do you think it would be worth the effort?"

"Can't tell you. I'd like to see it, though."

"As long as we still had a choice. I wouldn't want to find myself randomly assigned to sit with the Slytherins one day, either."

Lily thought about her friends' advice. They seemed to consider it a sound enough idea, and if nothing else Lily had to admit that it really couldn't hurt. It might not help, but she couldn't see how it would be bad for Hogwarts.

Her line of inquiry was interrupted, however, by a ghostly, eerie sound echoing over the grounds.

"What was that?" Saria Champs asked. A stout, red-faced girl, Saria had stuck her head out the window and was trying to see if anything was happening.

Lily caught the eyes of Gwyn and Alice with some alarm. Mephistopheles, who had curled up and gone to sleep at the foot of Lily's bed, was awake and hissing. All the fur on his back was standing up. Wompy appeared to have scurried under Alice's table.

"I've never heard anything like that, did it come from the forest?" The sound came again, and with the window open it sounded even closer to them. It was like a wolf's howl, but dramatically louder and more anguished.

"That's got to be the biggest or angriest wolf I've ever heard," Gwyn muttered.

"It must be one of the things in the forest," Alice said. "One of the reasons we aren't supposed to go in there."

"Are there such things? Huge wolves, I mean."

"Yeah, there are dire wolfs and gyrolfs, both are larger than normal wolves. Gyrolfs in particular have some magical properties about them, their fur is rich in—"

"Never mind that now," Lily said. "Come on, if it's in the forest there's no need to worry about it, it can't harm us."

After a third howl, this time sounding like a lament laden with regret and pain, Saria shuttered the windows. Lily noticed the girl was shuddering.

"Oh, come on, Saria, just get to bed. It's nothing to worry about, we have Hagrid out at the edge of the forest to keep anything dangerous away from the school."

Saria crept under her sheets while Gwyn pointed her wand at the various lamps around the room. Gradually the room's light gave way to darkness and the four girls nestled down for a good night's sleep.

"Do you think it'll really be alright?" Saria's voice whispered into the night.

"Really, it'll be fine. Just get some sleep," Lily said.

Despite the confidence she injected into her own voice, however, she found it difficult to go to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw an immense wolf-like creature rearing up between two yew trees, snapping one in half with the swipe of an upraised paw and baring its hideous teeth. And she also heard the faint words, that sounded just a bit like Sirius Black. _"The owls are afraid of something…something bad._"

With one last uneasy glance out the window, which revealed only dimly sparkling stars and a wisp of deep purple cloud, Lily rested her head on the pillow and tried to think of nothing at all.


	7. An Enchanted Bird

Chapter Seven – An Enchanted Bird

As seventh-year students, Lily had expected that their curriculum would change significantly. Even she, however, had been unprepared for the sort of independent, free-range work that the teachers had assigned them.

Professor Jabitha's Defense Against the Dark Arts and Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration classes remained the most regimented, naturally. Otherwise, Lily suspected, the students who turned their cats into a cross between a zebra and a giraffe might insist that they had intended to perform just such a spell.

However, all their other teachers had become rather more capacious in their demands. Professor Sprout had merely assigned them a rather large patch of garden and told them to grow whatever plants they wished, provided that they produced an item or concoction with magically relevant properties at the end of the term. "Extra credit if your patch will also produce a tasty salad," she had added.

Professor Flitwick's Charms class, meanwhile, had delved into the theory of spellwork. Their first month's assignment was to come up with a novel spell that performed the same function as a simple one they currently knew: _Lumos_ or _Incendio_, for example.

Their Care of Magical Creatures class was the most free-form of all, all things considered. They hadn't even had a class in session yet, though Professor Anhotep had told them to read their books "in lieu of in-class time." Rumors were flying thick and fast about the dangerous beast in the woods, and how Anhotep, Hagrid, and someone else were spending most of their time in the woods trying to track it.

Even Professor Slughorn, who taught Lily's favorite subject, seemed less inclined to watch over his students' progress as closely as he had in previous years. "You are N.E.W.T. students now, truly, and you'll be facing the hardest tests of your lives at the end of this year. I can't possibly tell you which of thousands of spells you'll need to produce, so we can't practice for it. We can only begin to understand _how _the magic of potions functions, how this mixed with that produces—"

His speech was interrupted at this point by a loud explosion, which was a familiar interruption in the Potions room. "I told you," Slughorn said exhaustedly. "I told you not to touch any ingredients yet, didn't I? Five points from Slytherin."

"In any case," he continued. "This year we will be exploring our own abilities to create potions, based on the basic properties we have learned throughout our first six years together. Antagonistic and complementary relationships, symmetry, emergent properties, augmentation and enhancement, neutralization…"

Slughorn's assignment mirrored most of their other classes. They were to create a potion entirely of their own invention, one which they had not learned in their previous six years.

"And, bonus points if you can perform some function already covered in our books, but with fewer or cheaper ingredients."

Lily heard James muttering to Sirius, "I wonder if we can come up with a potion that'll make earwax taste like crystallized pineapple, then we'll ace this class." Even she had to stifle a laugh at that.

After her first week, Lily finally started feeling like she was getting into the stride of things. Muggle studies, with Professor Malnor, was a cinch as usual. "It's not fair," Gwyn had bemoaned. "You _live_ with these…_tellfones_ and things. How am I supposed to remember that digits have ten digits?"

"Eleven, Gwyn."

"Oh, yes, you're right, eleven."

Meanwhile, she had already begun her own garden, filled with Abyssinian shrivelfigs, belladonna, Gurdyroot, knotgrass, may-kogs, and wolfsbane. She had some interesting ideas for how to combine simple ingredients to produce rather complex potions, which she had been thinking about since the summer. That left only the need to invent a charm of some sort, and she wasn't worried about that just yet.

Alice had decided to tackle the Charms project first, and she spent most of her time either in the library reading theory books or in the common room doing practical experiments. There was the occasional unintended side-effect, such as the third-year that she had frozen on accident. They had tried any variety of spells to defrost her, but had finally settled for giving her the best armchair next to the fire and waiting for her to thaw.

Sometime during their second week, Alice managed to charm an object to grow wings and fly.

"Well, it's not _exactly_ like _Wingardium Leviosa_," she said, examining the fluttering tea cup in front of her. Wompy apparently regarded it as rather unnatural, because as soon as it landed he vanished. "But I guess it'll have to be good enough, I really need to get to work on these essays."

And so the opening weeks of their last year at Hogwarts passed, remarkably free of incident. It was as if some invisible hand was enforcing peace in the school; even Peeves was rather disinclined to perform any serious acts of mischief. Rumors had it that Madam Pomfrey had taken to napping through the day, since she got so little work.

This was not to say that the Marauders had completely renounced their old ways. There were assorted pranks, but they were on the whole remarkably harmless. During one weekend, all the suits of armor in the school were mysteriously transfigured so that they had the head of Argus Filch, the school's caretaker. Filch had been furious, but he couldn't do anything to James, Sirius, Remus, or Peter without more evidence.

Lily was asked to look into the matter, and she made a half-hearted attempt at investigation that mainly consisted of asking James whether he had done it.

"Of course," he had answered. "Did you like it? We would have set it off earlier but it took a few days to really get his nose right, there was some Filch-y quality we weren't really getting there. It was the snarl, it twists his nose up a bit, but we couldn't replicate it for the longest time…"

She had told Filch that it would be difficult if not impossible to find the culprit or culprits, since almost everyone above fifth-year—and more than a few fourth or even third-years—had the capability of performing the Transfiguration required.

There were only a few problems that marred Lily's otherwise perfect beginning-of-term. One, she already knew, would be impossible to solve, and she wasn't even sure she would have it any other way. This was Gwyn's constant and blindingly obvious insinuations that Lily and James would sooner or later—"And all my Galleons are on sooner, believe me"—become a couple.

The other, a more intractable and troublesome one, was James Potter. As entangled as their relationship was becoming, Lily was less and less sure how to act towards him. He had made his feelings clear for her long ago, to the knowledge of most everyone in the school. At the time she had known how she felt as well, and with equal clarity. Now…

Unfortunately for the both of them, they shared their Potions class with Severus Snape, who also knew exactly how James felt about Lily and never missed an opportunity to mock him for it. Like Lily, Snape had a preternatural talent for Potions, one which made him a favorite of their professor, Horace Slughorn. Moreover, being in Slytherin, Snape enjoyed the advantage of having Slughorn as his Head of House.

None of these factors made him any more tolerable during class, when he was allowed to basically speak his mind without any intervention.

Snape and James were constantly butting heads during the class. Lily wasn't sure if James had ever tried to speak to him, but if any apology had been made it clearly had not been accepted. Snape was never shy about taunting James in class, a constant litany that soon had everyone on edge. In fact, Alice had started ducking every time she heard Snape's voice, knowing sooner or later that curses would start flying.

The first open confrontation came during the third week of September. "You know, Potter, I don't know what is more disgusting. That you are the last heir of one of the oldest and purest wizarding families in existence, or that you constantly pursue a muggle-spawned—"

Snape's words became a meaningless grunt as James pretended to stumble into his cauldron. The contents, which were bubbling rather vigorously, had splashed all over Snape's robes and burned him rather severely. That day, at least, Madam Pomfrey had had work to do. The whole stunt cost Gryffindor twenty points, with a promise of more the next time.

Lily had then found herself in the odd position of giving the Head Boy of the school a detention. Of course, she reasoned, it was almost doing him a favor. It would be far better for him to do his time with McGonagall as their Head of House than with Slughorn, who would not be kindly disposed to someone who had just burned his prize pupil.

Snape enjoyed the good fortune of recovering quickly and returned the next day. It had been a week before the next blow-up.

"You know, Potter, I don't know if it's sadder that you're infatuated with the Mudblood, or that she won't have anything to do with you."

Lily could see James seething in his seat, but he didn't move.

"In any case, perhaps you could invite her out for a moonlit stroll…I know you do like those—"

That time she had had to let him face Slughorn's mercy, although she quietly whispered, "Nice leg-lock hex" to him after class. And it had been—since Snape had been getting up to get to the cabinet when he said it, the curse had caused him to fall face-first into Marvin Yert's attempt at a _Hilarius_ Potion. Marvin hadn't managed to make it quite right, however, so it had ended up a dull sludge-colored gloop that could have made Snape the brother of some kind of bog monster. Slughorn had taken the promised fifty points from Gryffindor, leading some Slytherins to point out that a Head Boy had never been single-handedly responsible for his House losing the Cup before.

Throughout the month she and James had to meet regularly to discuss their responsibilities as Head Boy and Head Girl. Half of the meetings were with all the Prefects from the various Houses, but half were just the two of them. However, they never broached the topic of their conversation on the train. Lily had long since decided that if he wasn't going to bring it up, she wouldn't. She suspected that he rather regretted telling her everything he had revealed about himself.

She had tried, during their first meeting, to convince him that he and his friends couldn't play any more practical jokes on members of the staff or the student body. He'd begrudged her the staff—"Although I don't answer for what Sirius does on his own"—but he drew the line at their peers.

"Some people," he insisted, "just really need to understand how to relax and take things in stride."

"And it's your job to teach them, of course."

"Naturally." More than a few of the Prefects had chuckled at that, Remus most of all. Naturally, Snape hadn't seemed to find that at all amusing.

Despite his continued reticence on that issue, Lily was pleasantly surprised to find that he was easy to work with. He was quick to come up with ideas, could point out the weaknesses in some of hers and was also ready to accept her criticisms. He also did a good job working with all the different Houses with the exception of Slytherin. And together they did get things done. She was forced to conclude—and she promised never to tell this to Gwyn—that the two of them actually worked well together.

Their chemistry (she hated to think of it as that) made her recollect that conversation on the Hogwarts Express. It was when they were working best together that she had to wonder whether he was truly trying to change some things about himself. He had certainly gained a sense of humility, and was not only receptive to her suggestions but even seemed eager to solicit her approval.

As the month drew to a close, Lily admitted to herself that everything felt terribly confused—in the first place because she wasn't sure where the two of them stood anymore, and even more because of how bizarrely twisted their relationship had grown. The more pleasant surprises came her way, the unhappier she became. It was becoming harder to dislike him, and she had grown rather used to disliking him.

_This is Potter,_ she tried to say over and over again. _Potter, the one who you told in front of half the school you would never date._

She wasn't sure whether she wanted him to change back into the person she had thought she knew before this year. She would know how to deal with him then, it would certainly simplify things. But somehow she knew that wasn't what she really wanted either.

She was most surprised by the fact that he agreed to let her handle certain issues with the House Quidditch Cup that had gotten out of control last year. At least, after she had pointed out that he wouldn't be seen as a neutral party as Gryffindor Team Captain.

"No, I somehow don't see the Slytherins letting me draw up their practice schedule," he had been forced to admit.

"What would you have given them? Midnight on Sunday?"

He had grinned. "I was thinking one to three, actually. In the morning. They could even have it every day of the week, imagine the generosity."

Reluctant as she was to trust him, she gave him rein over several discipline issues. She couldn't deny that he was effective, seeing as how he knew almost every trick in the book. It was he who suggested that Secrecy Sensors probably weren't the best way to detect innocuous contraband, since most of the stuff that students carried around wasn't bad enough to set them off.

"But the right kind of Summoning Charm…now that's a different story. I've found _Accio Guilty Item_ to get me almost everything that a person could have reason to be guilty about. Sometimes it even goes overboard, like I caught Regulus Black with a copy of _Witch Weekly_ in the hall the other day—"

"Are you serious?"

"Really, you should try it out—"

Just for fun, she had pulled it on Gwyn the next day. She hadn't managed to find any Dungbombs or Invisible Trip-Marbles, but she had discovered a note to Gwyn written by a rather handsome Ravenclaw sixth-year.

She had looked embarrassed for a second before pointing to Alice and saying, "If she gets to rob the cradle, I don't see why I can't get my pick of the litter too!"

The final issue that James and Lily had to decide on was the House unity initiative that he wanted. She had expected him to take the lead with convincing the teachers, but he insisted that she do it.

"Well, I'm sure Flitwick and Sprout like me well enough, but I think Flitwick's still nursing a bit of a grudge since I tried to make his room Unplottable last year—" The trick hadn't worked exactly, but it had taken weeks to locate all of Flitwick's books. Finally they had found his copy of _Advanced Whimsical Charms_ perched atop the point of one of the castle's highest towers.

"And Slughorn's hardly in love with you right now after Snape."

"Right," James said, grinding his teeth. Lily thought it over and drew the same conclusion. Starting off on the wrong foot with two of the four Heads would not be a good way to get his idea off the ground. Besides, she had to admit, she prided herself on being a better person at forging compromise than James, anyways.

"Alright, I'll approach them to start us off. But I'm guessing we'll bring the idea to Dumbledore, then you'll have to be there."

"Sure, of course. I've got your back, Evans."

"Yes, quite the gentleman, letting the girl run the risks, eh?"

"Isn't the rule 'Ladies first'?" he asked, sniggering.

-000-

Lily noticed something was odd about him during their fourth meeting. He seemed distant, unresponsive. It was the last day of September, and though the trees outside had not yet started to change their colors the air was getting cooler. The sun was already setting as they sat down to talk, although it was only seven in the evening.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"You know the Shrieking Shack doesn't have any open windows?" he asked, distractedly. It sounded as if he were a thousand miles away.

"What?"

"They're boarded up. I've never thought about it before, but you can't see the sun set from in there."

"Well why would you want to?" she asked. "If the rumors are true and it's haunted, I mean. I can hardly imagine ghosts would want to see the sun set."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure," he said, shifting off of the window sill and plopping down onto a couch. "You never know who can appreciate beauty." She noticed he was staring at her while he said this, but she ignored it.

She brushed her hair behind her ear and said, "Alright, so is there anything new going on that I should know about?"

"New? Well, Sirius has been planning something—entirely without my help, of course. But it isn't exactly new, he's been thinking on it since the summer."

"What is it?"

"You also said what you _should_ know—"

"_What_ is it?" she asked, more sternly.

"—and I really think that means you're trusting my judgment as to what you should or shouldn't know, seeing as how the question was phrased—"

"James."

"Don't worry about it. And I like that you've started calling me James, you know."

"Don't read too much into it."

"I won't," he said. "It's just nice to hear, it is my name, after all."

"So, other than the blind eye you're turning to Sirius, is there anything else I should know about?"

"No, I'm afraid that the other minor pranksters are so far beneath us that they fall beneath my notice—"

She gave him a withering look. "Seriously."

"Alright, there were some minor cases of vandalism. Some students used vanishing ink to deface some library books, Pince brought them to me."

"What'd you do to them?"

"I made them scrub it out with toothbrushes," he said. "No magic."

"Speaking of scrubs, that reminds me of the Slytherin Quidditch team…" he mused. "Just joking, they're probably actually the biggest threat to us this year. When are we going to see a practice schedule?"

"Oh, here, I wrote it out a few days ago, I just forgot to give it to you."

"Thanks," he said, taking it from her hand. He yawned and wiped his glasses before he started to read. Behind him the fire crackled merrily and limned the edges of the lenses in orange light.

"Oh wow," he said. "Yes, we get Saturday mornings, those are the best."

"I'm glad you're happy," she said sarcastically.

"They'll say you're showing favoritism, of course—"

"Oh, I could change it now, if you don't like it," she said, mock-sweetly.

"No, no, that's alright," he hastily corrected himself. And then, "Thanks, Lily."

Another one of the awkward silences that seemed to happen far too frequently now when she spoke to him fell over them, and he shuffled his feet on the richly embroidered carpet. Mephistopheles jumped onto her lap and, grateful for the distraction, she brushed her fingers through his thick fur.

"You know, I haven't seen you playing with that Snitch you used to bring around with you," she said.

"Oh," he said, followed by a lull. "Yeah, I guess I figured it was time to get past that. I mean, I'm not even a Seeker, I'm a Chaser."

"Good to see your maturing there, Potter."

"Potter again, is it? You know, I'd carry around a Quaffle if it wouldn't look so silly."

The thought of James lugging a dark red ball around with him in the halls was pretty funny. While she was amusing herself by imagining it, he sat up and leaned over the table between them.

"Hey, have you—did you talk to the Heads about the whole seating thing yet?"

"Oh, yeah, I did."

"Well, what'd they say?"

"They seemed to like it. Slughorn said he'd talk to Dumbledore, encourage him to allow it."

"So we don't even need to present it to him? Great!"

She snorted. "Hopefully."

"I'm sure you were very convincing," he said.

After a moment he added, "I couldn't have found anyone better for the job."

"You say that now, but don't expect a seat at the Gryffindor table ever again. Once the boys get wind of this, Gwyn will have a waiting list just to get in line for a seat near her."

"Yeah, that girl's got some spark to her," he said conversationally. "Don't sell yourself short, though, I'm sure a few guys would want to sit near you."

She folded her hands in her lap and tried to sound as composed and sure of herself as possible. "James, I thought I made it clear that—"

He scowled. "Right. Me. Giant squid. Your preference. Got it." He turned away and Lily could tell he was hurt.

"Listen, James—"

"Never mind."

"I'm not—"

"Forget I brought it up, Evans." And she realized, with an absurd sort of guilt, that he hadn't actually brought it up or asked her out. He'd just been kidding with her. She hoped she hadn't opened an old wound with that.

Fortunately, he seemed suddenly cheered. "Hey, did you come up with your charm for Flitwick yet?"

"Oh, yeah," she said, glad to move on. "It's a kind of modified bubble-head, makes it around the whole body. In case there's something really bad in the air. It also makes you float up in water, which isn't a bad side-effect, I suppose."

"Not bad, not bad."

"What's yours?"

"It's pretty dumb, I guess. Here, let me show you—"

He reached into his robe and pulled out a small bird. She gasped in horror.

"You've had a bird in your robe while we've been sitting here?"

"It's not a bird, it just looks like one, see," he said. He opened his hand and tossed it into the air. It gently glided towards Lily's armchair. When she let it land on her finger she could see that it was in fact not a living bird, but a remarkable facsimile made of a dark cherry wood. With brilliant red feathers fluted on the wings and dark loops around its eyes, which shone like milky red glass, it was quite lifelike.

The grandfather clock behind her started chiming the hour, and the bird suddenly started chirping insistently. James appeared momentarily startled.

"Already ten?" he muttered.

"So what's the bird do?" His eyes jerked back and refocused on her.

"It's enchanted," he said. "Keeps the time and all. It's a nice charm to put on homework, it'll remind you when it needs to get done."

"Interesting." She held it up for a closer inspection and saw its eyes blinking. When she scrutinized them again she realized they were some kind of small gem.

"It's good for wake-up calls too, you just have to tell it when you want to wake up."

"This actually is a pretty nice bit of magic," she admitted.

"Mm. Do you want it?"

"Huh? No, that's okay—"

"No, really, take it." He waved her hand away when she tried to give it back to him.

"It likes you better anyways, I'm sure. And I never have problems getting up because Remus is practically an insomniac and makes us all wake up earlier than anyone else in the castle."

His eyes darted momentarily towards the window, and then back at her.

"Really, I insist."

Unsure of what to do with it, she finally said, "I can just put it in my robes, right? It won't suffocate or anything?" She always felt awkward accepting gifts. Truthfully, the only time she'd truly felt happy about something like that was when her parents had written her a letter in second-year saying the family was going to make a visit to school to see her. She'd looked forward to it for weeks, until they wrote back saying Petunia had refused to come. Petunia had been in those awkward years when hiring a sitter was somewhat insulting, but leaving her at home was out of the question.

"Hopefully not. Although it does need feeding—alright, alright, just kidding," he broke off, when she cocked her head skeptically.

He yawned then, and stretched his arms above his head. "Well, anyways, I think we've covered everything, and I'm a bit tired," he said. He seemed to be in a hurry somehow, and Lily suspected she knew where he was off to.

"I'm sure. Tired, at ten."

"Yes, well, you know what they say. A hard day's work needs a long night's rest," he said.

She decided not to push it. "Alright. Good night, James. I get the feeling this is one of those things it would be better for me not to know."

He turned back, halfway up the staircase. "For now, at least. One day I'll tell you."

She snorted. "What a privilege, I'm sure."

"It's a promise," he said. "Sweet dreams, Lily."


	8. Reckay Bringfer, Hunter Extraordinaire

Chapter Eight – Reckay Bringfer, Hunter Extraordinaire

As the first chill winds of autumn came and the leaves began to transform into a rich menagerie of color, they finally heard a bit of news about their Care of Magical Creatures class. It was announced formally on all the common room boards that they would meet for the first time. Lily couldn't remember another class that had started so late in the year.

By now, most of the students had gotten used to having one less class than they had planned and were quite happy. She herself had been using the extra time to practice Apparition, and had at last passed the test over the weekend.

Meanwhile, a few people had already begun to take advantage of the newfound seating freedom in the Great Hall, which Dumbledore had announced days earlier would begin its "trial run." Saria Champs had taken to sitting with her boyfriend from Ravenclaw, vacating at least one seat for Gwyn's suitors. And there was no shortage—more than a few eligible bachelors had found themselves at the Gryffindor table. Gwyn had been more than happy to shamelessly flirt with all of them.

When the day came for their first Care of Magical Creatures lesson, Lily noticed that Alice was beaming as they walked outside. She must have been the only one, however.

Gwyn was still muttering under her breath, "Well, I guess I can say goodbye to _that_ free period." She had been in a rather sour mood since Sam Sawbridge had begun going out with a Ravenclaw named Molly Ipsen, although she had cheered up briefly when she'd heard that Lily gave the Gryffindors the best practice time on the pitch.

The three of them left the castle together and headed down towards their open-air "classroom," such as it was. Gwyn chose that moment to hound her about James Potter once again, one of the last topics she wanted to discuss at the moment. Her own feelings were beginning to grow quite confused, although she knew that even showing the slightest hint of a crack in her resolve would only encourage Gwyn to bother her endlessly.

"So, speaking of magical creatures…"

Even Alice appeared like she wanted to join in. "There's been a little bird sitting on your dresser that's been waking us up the past week," she said.

"Has there been?"

"There has," Gwyn said gravely. "A pretty little red one, that I just happened to see James Potter enchanting earlier. And the next thing I know, it's in the possession of one Lily Evans…"

"Maybe I confiscated it," Lily said. "Caught him trying to trick Filch with it."

"Yes, maybe." Clearly Gwyn was unconvinced.

"Or maybe it was a gift?" Alice suggested.

"Yes, it could be that as well, you know," Gwyn jumped in eagerly.

"Alright, look—he gave it to me, okay? It was just something he was practicing on so he could develop that charm Flitwick wanted us to do—"

"Do you honestly think that, Lily?"

She flushed. "Yes, actually, I do."

Alice shook her head. "I saw him figure out that charm he showed Flitwick right after class. I get the feeling he didn't really want to bother with it."

"Yeah, and he and Remus had their heads together coming up with a charm for Peter the next week," Gwyn added.

"So after that, he spent the rest of his time…" Alice's voice trailed off with the implication.

"Making a little gift for the girl he fancies," Gwyn said, not willing to leave anything to chance.

"Thanks, I didn't pick up on where you were going with that," Lily said caustically.

"Not at all," Gwyn said.

"It's just an enchanted little alarm, anyways, it's nothing special."

"Mm. Do you really believe that?"

"Of course," Lily said. "Why wouldn't I?"

Gwyn sighed. "Come on, you know as well as I do the magic it would have taken to make that. Let's see. First there's getting the thing. It's wood carved, you know, good work too, the feathers are real, and the eyes are fire opals…so I'm guessing he got it from a shop in Hogsmeade."

"Then," Alice picked up, "there are the charms themselves. There's the one he came up with for the time, the one that makes it chirp…"

"The one to make it fly on command," Gwyn added. "I wonder which one he did myself, although I'm guessing given how life-like it looks it must have been _Animus Inanima_. That's not easy spellwork, not at all."

"What's your point?" Lily asked, being deliberately obtuse even though she knew where they were going.

"Someone put a lot of work into that."

"Someone must have really wanted it to be special."

"So someone," Alice finished, "could give it as a gift to someone else."

After a few seconds' pause, Gwyn added, "That someone else must have been pretty special to him to go to all that trouble…"

Lily answered them with resounding silence.

"That bird also has some other little quirks, I can't figure out how he did them," Alice said. "I swear, it perks up whenever someone gets too close to your stuff. It's like it's guarding it."

"It could be an _Etern Fidelium_, you know. A Loyalty Charm towards whoever owns it. Normally works best with living things, dogs and whatnot, but that thing is half-living now—"

"Can we stop talking about some little trinket? I swear, I've heard things more overanalyzed in Divination!"

"Perhaps," Gwyn allowed. "If you're willing to start talking about the boy who gave it to you…"

"You are _intolerable_!" Lily shouted.

"And you know you love me for it."

At last, they reached the ringed-off area where Professor Anhotep held his lessons. A large circular pit of flat, gray dust, it was separated from the rest of the yard by cordons and also—according to him, anyways—spells of powerful defensive magic.

The first thing she noticed about the class that day was that there were no creatures in sight. The Professor stood on a tall stump, waiting for everyone else to arrive, but there were no cages or tanks nearby as far as she could see.

The second thing she noticed was the bulky man at Anhotep's side. He seemed to exude a sense of deadly competence. When a breeze blew from behind him she caught the scents of forest soil and something metallic. His face was long and sharp, his grizzled hair covering him from temple to temple in a thick but closely-trimmed beard. His smile was wide but cold, and did not touch his eyes.

As they entered the ring and sat down on one of the log benches, he cracked his knuckles. His hands were covered with hair not unlike that on his face, and his knuckles were thick knobs. His body stretched tight against his jacket in the shoulders and chest, but seemed to narrow out dramatically around the waist.

He also happened to be carrying a nasty-looking crossbow, a heavy piece of work with ornate silver embossing. It had an odd set-up in the back, and Lily guessed that it could load three quarrels at once.

Lily noticed that Gwyn and Alice were also puzzled about why this stranger was observing their class, and she would have bet all her Galleons that they too had noticed his…unconventional appearance.

"Class, good afternoon. I'm afraid that we haven't been meeting as frequently as I would have liked—"

A few chuckles came from the audience, and Professor Anhotep went on. "You see, we have had some difficulty this year…to be perfectly honest with you, it was seriously considered whether we should even have this class at all."

He had certainly gotten everyone's attention now. All heads were rapt upon him as he tried to explain.

"We are dealing with a—some type of creature," he said. "There is something in the Dark Forest that has not been there before this year, something that is causing unrest with the various animals and such that live in the environs."

Aubrey Prount raised his hand. "Sir, is it true, how the owls won't fly because of this thing in the woods?"

The Professor paused. "Ah, well—it may be. We are ourselves not entirely sure of the cause, it is difficult to determine, but that is one of the things that tipped us off to start looking."

Next to Lily, Alice raised her hand. "Professor, we heard there was someone from the Ministry hunting it—"

At this Anhotep smiled. "Yes, well, I can clearly see you're up to date on the rumors. But this one is true, we do have a guest from the Ministry. I'll allow Mr. Bringfer to introduce himself." He gestured at the man standing next to him, who stepped forward and began to speak.

"The Ministry," he said, "places the highest value on the safety of all of you. With that in mind, the Department for the Regulation of Magical Creatures has assigned me to discover whatever it is that shouldn't be here, and put things back aright."

"Put things back aright?" someone muttered from the back row.

"Yes," he said, stroking his crossbow ominously. After this pronouncement, no one said anything for a minute or so. Eventually, Prount raised his hand again.

"Sir, begging your pardon, but who are you?"

"What?" he asked, astonished. "You've never heard of Reckay Bringfer, Head Hunter? Oh, sometimes they'll also call me 'Hunter Extraordinare.'"

Aubrey gulped as he shook his head. "The man who took on the four-horned snarglac of Siberia? The man tasked with finding the last remaining herd of aurochs and bringing them into submission? The man who slew the world's last silver she-lion?"

Again, most of the class shook their heads, and the man adopted an offended posture. Lily couldn't help noticing that it gave his eyes an almost murderous gleam.

"Well, you can't have been very well-informed about the Department for the Regulation of Magical Creatures, then. I've been its premier hunter for over a decade now…" He hefted his crossbow as he said the last words, as if making sure it was still at hand.

Professor Anhotep stepped back to the fore. "In any case, class, Mr. Bringfer will be on campus over the course of the year taking any measures necessary to capture and, if need be, neutralize whatever is in the woods."

"In the meantime," he continued, "Professor Dumbledore has agreed that this class should continue. We have already lost a month, and N.E.W.T.'s are fast approaching. With this in mind—next week you will each find yourself with a baby hydra to care for. Hydras are extremely sensitive creatures, and require devoted attention. They are one of the most dangerous and difficult magical creatures to domesticate, and your success will likely prepare you for anything you could see in the N.E.W.T. practicals."

Reckay Bringfer, who was standing at Anhotep's shoulder, looked like he had something else to say. But the Professor hastily dismissed the class, adding as they left, "It'd be best not only to read the entry in your standard textbooks, but to do some library research before next time so you'll be prepared for everything!"

-000-

"So what'd you think of that Bringfer character?" Gwyn asked idly as they sat in the library. She was furiously scribbling the last few lines of an essay on a set of runes found in cave drawings in France.

"I thought he was kind of weird," Alice said. "Not to mention a bit too sure of himself."

"Yeah, 'Hunter Extraordinaire,' quite a title to give himself, wasn't it?"

Lily was reviewing her Potions notes while examining an astrological chart. Her chosen design had to be made at exactly the right time…

"I wonder what that thing in the woods is," she said in a distracted voice.

Alice clearly had the same question, because she was flipping through an immense volume whose name was _Magical Creatures of Every Persuasion_.

"I've found a few…here, for instance. The Great Shrike, an osprey-like bird with a wingspan of nearly twenty feet. Naturally preys upon other birds, including sparrows, finches, robins and will even eat ones as large as owls. Magical properties: feathers may be used in some wands and potions; its claws when ground into powder are a powerful surfactant; its presence can be sensed by other creatures, since it projects an aura of fear."

Lily inspected the entry in the book.

"Wow, good find," she said. Alice smiled, quite pleased with herself.

"D'you reckon we ought to tell them?" she asked.

"Ah, let the great big hunter figure it out for himself, if he's so sure about his brilliance," Gwyn said. "Besides, he's a professional, he must know the things exist, right?"

"But—"

"Seriously, we shouldn't get involved. You know they told us not to go looking into the Forest—"

"We're not!" Alice protested hotly. "I just found it in a book!"

"But they'll start asking questions about why we were so curious, whether we'd gone looking for it. Trust me, it'll just give us trouble."

Alice seemed uncertain, but said nothing.

Lily suddenly remembered the sound they had heard coming from the forest the night after the Opening Feast. She reminded them of it, which caused Gwyn to shiver.

"Eerie, wasn't it?"

"That didn't sound like a bird, you know. It sounded more like a pack of wolves or something."

Alice shrugged. "Maybe there were always wolves in the forest. The Shrike's driving them off as well…"

Lily hadn't considered that possibility. It actually made more sense. Why would owls be afraid of wolves, after all? She envisioned a pack of wolves in her mind's eye, fleeing from a bird whose wingspan was so immense it blotted out the stars.

"Look at this stuff about the hydra," Alice said, interrupting Lily's reverie. "It's hard to take care of. Look at this, you have to feed each of his heads, not just one, because they all have their own stomach. And they'll fight over scraps of food."

Gwyn waved away the thought of multi-headed monsters. She was not one to think too far into the future, especially not when something else was on her mind.

"Hey, are you guys going to join the dueling club?" Her voice was filled with anticipation, but the sudden change of subject threw Lily off.

"What dueling club?" She hadn't heard of any such thing.

"Pay more attention to the sign-up board," Gwyn said. "The Ministry's sending some Auror here tomorrow to teach us the basics of dueling. Says we need to get trained in how best to protect ourselves now that—well, what with how things are."

Lily's first reaction was to blurt, "That makes sense." She had always wondered why no one took more time to show the students how to defend themselves in case they came under attack by some of Lord Voldemort's followers. But she quickly became dubious. People becoming Aurors would surely need to know how to fight, but did everyone?

"I'm sure it's not too late to sign up, they said they would take as many as wanted to learn, so you could even just show up."

"Not a bad idea…"

Just then, Madam Pince appeared from behind the nearest shelf. Seeing that Lily was keeping her place in a book by leaving it lying face-down, she started screeching.

"Don't you know what that does to the spine?"

"Sorry—"

"No, No! This is unacceptable!" She started shooing them away. "I won't have your kind of people in my library, some of these books have been kept here in good condition for hundreds of years, you children have no respect for the history we're trying to preserve—"

Lily, Gwyn, and Alice beat a panicked retreat as Pince hounded them from behind, screeching when one of them spilled ink as they were running out the doors.

"And good riddance!" she cried.


	9. En Garde

Chapter Nine – En Garde

Once they had ducked out of the library and felt safe enough to slow down, Lily's mind drifted back to the dueling club.

"Is that really such a good idea, though?" she wondered. She was starting to have second thoughts.

"Why not?" Gwyn asked. "We have to learn how to fight dark wizards, we can't just ignore the fact that they're out there. It's like Dumbledore said."

Like Alice, Gwyn was sure she wanted to be an Auror. She had been so certain that Professor McGonagall had called her careers appointment "the easiest bit of counseling I've ever done."

"I'm just not sure. I mean, we definitely shouldn't ignore him—"

"How else are we going to learn to fight him, then?" Alice wondered.

"That's just the thing," Lily said. "I'm not sure it's a good thing that we're being taught how to fight him. I could understand maybe learning how to protect yourself with some basic spells, but if we teach everyone how to duel they'll start thinking they can go out and take on dark wizards on their own…"

"Come off it, Lily. No one would think that!"

"No, I'm serious. Imagine how—" Again, she couldn't help noticing that James was the first person to pop into her mind. "—Sirius Black or someone would take it. He'd learn a bit, get good enough to beat everyone else in the club, and then probably start thinking he could defeat real dark wizards…"

"I'm not sure you give Sirius enough credit," Gwyn said. "He's not stupid. He's overconfident as all hell, but he's not stupid."

"Besides, you might get a chance to wipe the floor with James Potter…" Alice said.

Lily could see she was fighting a losing battle, and after arguing the point for a bit longer she relented. The next day, a Saturday, she woke up early and found Gwyn and Alice already shrugging on their robes and wiping the sleep from their eyes.

"Well come on," Gwyn said, swishing her wand idly through the air. "Let's go learn how to beat up on dark wizards."

The three girls walked downstairs and found almost the entire seventh year in the Great Hall, along with a few sixth-years who had come of age and were allowed to take part in the class. The tables had been pushed to the sides, and in the center of the room was a clearly marked red circle. In its center stood the fiercest man Lily had ever seen, a tall, gaunt figure whose shoulders jutted out sharply from his rich purple robes and framed his hawk-like face. When he spread his arms, the old-fashioned cut of his robes drooped almost down to the floor.

"Welcome, welcome all!" His voice was scratchy and raw. "My name is Michael Avus, and I will be your instructor in the fine arts of dueling."

Across the room, Lily saw James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter standing at the fore of a group of boys. Sirius wasn't even attempting to contain his look of glee, but James's face was emotionless, and Remus's was exhausted and drawn. Peter, as usual, appeared highly nervous, and was chewing on his nails.

Jennifer Bones joined them and said in hushed tones, "It's about time we learned how to take it to them!"

"Hey, Jenn," Alice said.

"So do you think they're going to let us challenge people to practice, or are they going to assign us? Because that Sawbridge was asking for it the other day—"

"Don't pick on Sam," Gwyn interjected.

Just then, Alyssa Bagnold materialized from the crowd. "And I thought you didn't have anything to do with him," she said, smirking.

"I didn't say I did!" Gwyn protested. "I'm just saying she shouldn't be mean to him."

"Now I'd like a pair of volunteers from the audience, I'd like to see what you all can do before we start rehashing the basics," Avus called out.

"Anyone?" he said, after no one stepped up immediately. "Perhaps I can sweeten the deal for you a little bit. There'll be a prize for the winner."

"What kind of prize?" Sirius said from the other side of the hall.

"One worth fighting for," Avus said, with a cold smile.

"And how do you go about winning?"

"Well, that's simple enough, my boy. Knock your opponent out of the circle, disarm or stupefy them, or otherwise force them to surrender."

Apparently that was enough for Sirius, because he stepped forward and said, "Sounds good to me."

"Very good," Avus said. "Now, another volunteer?"

Lily could feel Gwyn's hand pushing at her back, but before she stumbled and drew attention herself James stepped forward.

"I'll volunteer," he announced. A hush fell over the students as he drew his wand from his robes and stepped into the circle with Sirius, pushing the hair out of his eyes. The two boys were grinning at each other as they circled warily.

"Very well," Avus said. "Now I want a good, friendly match—"

Sirius chuckled. "No worries there." His eyes seemed particularly alert now, unblinking and steady. Lily observed the people around her and saw that the rest of the students were completely focused on the circle. Clearly they had been surprised that James had volunteered.

"Give me the best you've got, Prongs." Lily had heard the nickname before and had always assumed it referred to James, although she couldn't see the reason behind it. _Maybe because his hair sticks up all the time?_

"Only if you give me yours, Padfoot." Lily couldn't understand that one either, but she had never actually seen the bottoms of Sirius's feet. Judging by the nickname, perhaps she didn't want to.

The two of them laughed and brought their wands to the ready.

"Now, now just you two wait a moment," Avus interrupted. "Clearly no one has taught you how to duel. It is polite to bow to your opponent before commencing..."

"Oh, my apologies," Sirius said sardonically. He and James dipped quick bows to each other, and then before Lily knew it they were fighting.

"_Stupefy_!"

"_Expelliarmus_!" Two bolts of light flashed across the room, although both combatants ducked or blocked the spells, and then the real fight got under way. Gwyn was watching with an eager look, as if she couldn't wait to try it out herself. And even Lily had to admit there was a fascinating sort of beauty to it, as flashes of light in a brilliant array of colors flew across the room.

The first round of curses they sent at each other were all easily blocked or dodged. Suddenly James switched tack and shouted, "_Confundus_!" Sirius hadn't at all been expecting that spell, and he didn't get out of the way in time. His eyes glazed over and, with a blissful smile on his face, he began taking one step, then another, closer to the edge of the circle.

As he approached the edge, however, his face twisted and grew increasingly unpleasant. Finally, he shook his head vigorously.

"Oh, very good, James," he said. Across from him, James shrugged.

"I try," he answered.

Sirius grunted. "I can still see them right there," he laughed. "Right past the edge. Very clev—" Before he finished speaking, he whirled around and fired off an _Engorgio_ Charm that James narrowly managed to dodge. Unfortunately for him, it struck his hood and caused it to expand rapidly, swelling over his face and obscuring his vision.

Perhaps guessing that Sirius was about to run up and push him bodily out of the circle, or else just completing misaiming, James cried out, "_Incendio_!" and burned a ring of brilliant flames around him. His glasses were two circles of burnished gold, hiding the eyes behind them.

Whether he had intended it or not, Lily had to admit it was quite the impressive bit of magic. Most _Incendio_ spells only produced enough fire to light a small log.

Sirius shot another jinx at him, which he blindly warded off with a _Protego_ Charm. He stumbled as Sirius cast a _Transagua_ Charm on floor, causing it to become slick and slippery.

By then, he had managed to pull all the folds of his enlarged cloak away from his face. However, the fabric drooped down from his back and swished dangerously close to the flames.

"Watch out!" she called. James jerked backwards before she suddenly realized that they probably weren't allowed to warn the combatants about any danger that was threatening them. Avus, however, was watching from the top of the circle and did nothing. _Surely he must have heard me…_

At her side, Gwyn giggled, a clear indication that she had.

By that time, however, James had managed to vault over his own protective fire and was firing off _Impedimenta _Charms at Sirius's feet. Most of them missed and only scorched small marks against the floor, but he finally connected with one. Just in time, as well, because it altered Sirius's aim just as he had shot off a dangerous-looking scarlet curse.

As he struggled to get up, James hit him with a Jelly-Legs Jinx. Sirius wobbled dangerously, but managed to cry out, "_Pugnacio_!" and flick his wrist in a downward slashing motion. An invisible fist slammed into James's right side, and he barely managed to hold onto his mahogany wand as he tumbled to the ground.

And then he did something truly unexpected.

"_Accio Chair_!" he shouted. Lily barely registered his words before she thought, _Why would he ever—?_

That question seemed to be on Sirius's mind as well, because he hesitated for a split-second when he could have knocked James out of the ring with another _Pugnacio_ curse. When he again raised his wand hand, it was already too late. James muttered an incantation and the chair that he had sent streaking across the room towards him transformed into a solid mass of sand-colored wood.

The transfiguration, however, did not interfere with it as it followed a straight-line path which Sirius just happened to be blocking. The block struck him full-on in the back and dropped him to his knees. As it rolled off to the side, it gradually sprouted legs and darkened until it resembled a chair once again.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Sirius's wand went flashing off into the distance, landing at the feet of a startled Hufflepuff seventh-year who Lily recognized as Bertram Archie, head of the Unicorn Watching Society and captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team.

Silence reigned as Sirius struggled to get to his feet. James limped over and helped him up, supporting him on his shoulders.

"Sorry about that, mate. The chair was the only thing I could think of at the time."

"It's alright," Sirius said, wincing. "You won fair and square. I guess I should be thankful you didn't think _table_ first, huh?"

The two of them started chuckling just as Avus began clapping, an action that was soon mirrored by most of the other students.

"Excellent!" he boomed. "I'll see your Head of House about awarding Gryffindor some points to you two. Quite creative dueling, if a bit under-handed. You'd give some Ministry Aurors a run for their Galleons, I'm sure, yes. Some, at any rate." Somehow, the way he said it made it clear that he did not include himself in that group.

_They really were pretty good_, Lily had to admit. She also had a niggling suspicion that that hadn't been the first time the two had faced off. It was glaringly evident that they had fought each other before, judging by how quickly and surely they had blocked each other's attacks. She would have wagered everything she had that they had been practicing against each other over the summer.

It suddenly struck her that they were being forced to grow up so fast. What she would have taken only a year ago to be child's play, or the overly obvious attempt of two boys to practice showing off in front of their peers, now struck her as a practical and surprisingly long-sighted move.

_They knew what Dumbledore was saying all along, _she thought. _They knew we'd have to get ready to fight_. She had a grudging respect for what they had done.

"Oh, now before I forget," Avus said. "I'd like to present our winner with a prize…er, what's your name, young man?"

"James," he said. "James Potter."

"Well, Mr. Potter, let me see…oh yes, here it is." From a pouch inside his robes the fierce-looking wizard drew out a thin golden bracelet, designed in the shape of interlocking leaves.

"A…bracelet?" James sounded deflated, and Sirius guffawed next to him.

"We were fighting for a bracelet?"

"It'll look very pretty on you, Potter," one of the Slytherins shouted.

Avus scowled. "Don't be daft, boy." It wasn't clear which of the three he was directing this comment to. Perhaps all of them. "This is goblin-made, very fine work. And goblin-enchanted, besides. It has a very peculiar property. When one puts it on, the wearer is granted a half-hour of invulnerability from death—"

Sirius laughed again. "Is there something funny, boy?" Avus barked.

James glared warningly at Sirius, and said, "Thank you, I'm…I'm grateful." He reached out to take the bracelet, but Avus withdrew his hand suddenly.

"Be careful," he said. "The bracelet was enchanted to have five uses, but four of those have already been exhausted. Put this on and no one will be able to harm you in any way…but after that, it'll be worthless. Or as worthless as gold is, at any rate."

James nodded and finally accepted it.

Avus clapped his hands together once more and said, "Everyone here, now! Don't think you can avoid all the fun. Get into pairs, I want to see everyone in the room practicing. Quickly now—" He sneered. "We have an odd number, I think, so last one left gets to work with me."

Lily quickly glanced back at Alice, and they nodded at each other as the stampede began.

-000-

By the time they left the Great Hall, Lily was trying to work a kink out of her back and Alice was nursing a few bruises to her leg. All in all, nothing life-threatening. Madam Pomfrey would have her hands full with burns and scrapes for the better part of the night, Lily guessed. Some pairings had been less kind towards each other than she and Alice had been.

As they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower, they were caught by Gwyn. She had Sirius and James in tow, and as expected Remus and Peter followed shortly.

"That's the most fun I've had in a long time," Sirius was saying. A sheen of sweat covered his face, and his eyes had a feverish quality to them. He had probably fought more duels than anyone else in the room, and had even held his own against both James and Remus for quite some time just before the class ended.

"You have to show me how to do some of those hexes," Gwyn said. "Nasty stuff."

"No problem," he said. "Can't promise I'll be gentle, though."

She laughed. "I won't make that promise to you either, then."

They ate up the stairs, a new bounce in their step. "Hey, what would you guys say to creating our own dueling club?"

"Why would we need another?" Lily asked warily. "In case you hadn't noticed, we just left one."

But Sirius shook his head. "This guy's probably only going to be here for a few weekends throughout the year. I talked to him, he says he has Ministry work, he's going abroad at the end of the month. We'll still need practice, though, I don't think we'll be that good after just a few sessions."

"We could meet on our own," Peter piped up. "We could ask Dumbledore, I'm sure he'd see the wisdom in letting us do it."

"He could just as well shut you down," Remus said.

"Ever the optimist, eh, Moony?"

"Sirius, be—"

"Serious?"

Lupin's lips narrowed in annoyance. "I'm just raising the possibility. In fact, I think it's likely. Who's to say we wouldn't seriously injure ourselves…or someone else?"

"I hear someone who's afraid of a little dueling," Sirius said mockingly.

"He's right, Padfoot." _I'll never understand those nicknames_, she thought. Sirius didn't make fun of James as readily.

"Alright, then," he said. "Well, we'll just have to do it without administration approval then." Lupin groaned, and it was pretty clear that wasn't what he had meant.

"You absolutely will not do that," Lily declared, eyes blazing.

"It's not like they have to know!"

"Sirius, brilliant you may be—" He seemed pleasantly surprised when she said that, although his face quickly turned to a scowl. "—you've just declared your plans to both the Head Boy and the Head Girl of the school, who will report you to Dumbledore if you so much as whisper a word of some secret dueling club again."

Sirius glared at James, who raised his hands. "Hey, I didn't say _I_ would turn you in."

"Thanks for the support, Potter." She glowered at him.

Before anything more could happen, though, Sirius hastily waved his hands. "Alright, alright, I surrender. It would have been a good idea, though. I was already coming up with names for it…"

"Like what?" Gwyn asked, ignoring Lily's glare.

"I just started thinking of some like, say, the Defenders Club…Justice's Hammer…Guardians of Light…"

"Ooh, I like that one," Alice chimed in.

"Me too, it has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

"One more word…" Lily said threateningly.

"Alright, alright, Evans! Have it your way!" Sirius drew his hand across his mouth, miming a zipping motion.

"I'll be quieter than someone hit with a _Silencio_ Charm!"

"I'll believe that when I _don't_ hear it."


	10. Puffed Up Hufflepuffs

Chapter Ten – Puffed Up Hufflepuffs

Sirius did keep his word to Lily, at least as far as she could discover. If nothing else, she was quite sure he couldn't possibly be setting up a secret club while more "important" matters were at hand. The first Quidditch match of the season, which pitted Gryffindor's returning Cup champions against a strong Hufflepuff squad, had both Houses in an uproar. Word had gotten around that Bertram Archie, the Hufflepuff team captain, had recruited a hotshot fourth-year named Malthus Dodge who he claimed was "the best Seeker in the past one hundred years."

The Gryffindors had initially dismissed the claims as typical bravado, but then they had learned that Dodge had been the youngest Seeker considered for the English national team that would represent the nation at the next Quidditch World Cup. After the news spread, doubts began to build, and Sirius had his hands full keeping morale up in the Gryffindor common room.

"We're going to destroy them for sure!" he would say loudly, pretending to be talking to James but putting enough emphasis into it that everyone could hear. James would flash a cocky grin when Sirius got into one of those moods.

"Damn right we are."

Unfortunately, others were not as convinced. They remembered that last year, Chuck Winstrom—the Gryffindor Seeker—had just barely managed to capture the Golden Snitch in their match against Hufflepuff. At that point in the match, the Gryffindors had been losing by a score of a hundred and twenty to ninety, and were clearly being outplayed. None of the other House's Chasers was as individually talented as James, but all of them were slightly better flyers than Gwyn or Harvey Nutcombe.

Chuck himself seemed to have stopped talking in the days leading up to the match, although his skin's unhealthy tinge seemed to tell a clear enough story to most everyone. "We should make him wear makeup until the Halloween Feast," Sirius was frequently overheard telling anyone willing to listen.

Even Gwyn was feeling the effects, and her normally vivacious mood darkened considerably. She picked at her food at meals, and managed to alienate some of her hangers-on when she didn't laugh at their jokes. Personally, Lily thought it was all a bit ridiculous to have so much riding on a game, and she knew she would be more than glad when it was all over.

Mercifully, James didn't enter the fray. Hufflepuff supporters had begun shouting, "Dodge for Prime Minister!" in the halls, and several duels had already scorched the castle's corridors. James assigned Harvey and Aubrey Prount, a Hufflepuff Chaser, to keep the peace and dispense the punishments.

Lily had instantly seen the wisdom in his choices. Since they were rival Quidditch team members and House Prefects, pairing the two of them together would prevent any biased judgments. Prount and Nutcombe also happened to be good friends and cousins, related through some convoluted set of marriages between their families that she had never bothered to figure out. In any case, she was glad that she and James didn't have to deal with them personally. The fact that both of them were from Gryffindor would not have been good for appearances.

With all the commotion about Quidditch, unfortunately, nearly everyone forgot the egregiously precise and constant care their hydras required, and they were forced to admit to Professor Anhotep that their creatures had either died or run off to inhabit the school lake. He'd seemed rather more disconcerted about the latter outcome than the former, but had promised it wouldn't be a problem. He did, however, warn them not to take Quidditch so seriously in the future, especially in this crucial year.

Truth be told, the seething tension frustrated her. "It's just a game," she said again and again, with Gwyn shooting her a dirty look every time. She found little support for the sentiment, however. Alice made sure to keep her mouth shut ever since she learned that Frank was a devoted Quidditch fan and was likely going to be one of the House Chasers next year. By the time the long-anticipated weekend arrived, Lily wanted to shut herself in and stay in bed until it was all over.

However, as a House Prefect and as Head Girl, she could hardly boycott the match. So despite her misgivings, she wrapped herself head-to-toe in red and gold just like everyone else and headed out to the pitch brooding while others—Sirius especially—led roaring chants.

Hufflepuff, badger badger badger,

When we send them crying back,

They'll cry "We had yer, had yer, had yer!"

And on it went, without end. Lily's head was pounding by the time they ascended to their seats on one side of the stadium. Gryffindor banners were flapping from the towers and the hoops, and even the merlons on their side of the wall had been colored in alternating red and gold. And the largest red and gold display might have been Hagrid himself, whose colossal frame was decked out fully in the colors. He used a normal scarf as a tie, and normal ties as bands to tie around his wrists.

Encouraging cries ran thick and fast as the team started their test run, flying lazy loops around the pitch.

"Let's go, Gryffindor!"

"You got 'em!"

Sirius took a seat next to her and Alice. Lily groaned inwardly; with Alice devoting almost all of her attention to Frank, who was sitting on her other side, it left Lily more or less alone with Sirius.

His face was flushed and his eyes were sparkling. "This is going to be a great match," he enthused. Lily chose not to answer him, instead scanning the sky for the Hufflepuffs. As much as she hated to admit it, her heart was pounding as she watched the black-and-gold-robed flyers take off from their side, whirling in complex cross-hatching patterns at dangerous speeds.

"They're good," Lily said grudgingly.

"True, true. But they don't have our heart," Sirius said. "And look at that Seeker everyone's talking about, he looks like half a baby."

It was true. The boy—he was a fourth-year, if Lily recalled correctly—seemed even smaller than others in his age group. He was thin as a rail, although his cheeks still had the pudginess associated with baby fat. His dusty hair was cut long, and flapped behind him as he sailed around the pitch.

"Pretty boy wears it long," Sirius said. Lily scoffed. He himself hadn't cut his hair since coming to school, and it was fast approaching the level of his chin.

In the center box, Lily could see Professor McGonagall spectating eagerly. As much as Minerva McGonagall might be loath to admit it, she did have a certain love for Quidditch in her heart. Lily knew that if it hadn't been for that, James might have never seen the light of day away from detention in his third or fourth years. Professor Sprout was seated next to her, practically bouncing in her seat. She managed an almost regal bearing in a velvet robe with rich black and gold accents.

Madam Hooch was already descending to the level of the playing field, her voice amplified by a _Sonorus _Charm. "I'm sure we'll have a good clean match," she said curtly. Without any more preamble she released the Bludgers and the Snitch, and waited a few seconds for the tiny golden ball to soar off beyond anyone's sight.

"Now, begin!" The Quaffle arced into the sky as she tossed it up, and one of Hufflepuff's Chasers—Jennifer Bones, by the look of it—swept it in as soon as it reached its apex.

Aubrey Prount and Martin Yert, the teams two other Chasers, steamed after her. The three flew in a roughly triangular formation, with Prount slightly to the left and above her and Yert below and to the right. The formation was compact and restricted their maneuverability, but made it difficult for the Gryffindors to break in and steal the Quaffle.

Sirius winced as the Hufflepuffs scored their first goal, the three flyers breaking up rapidly after the shot. Dorcas Meadowes, Gryffindor's Keeper, was loudly cursing herself. Lily wasn't sure what bothered Sirius more, the fact that Gryffindor had given up a goal, or the fact that Dorcas had been the one to let it in. Lily knew he had a bit of a soft spot for her.

The Gryffindors recovered quickly though, with James scoring a goal on an assist from Gwyn. Then the two teams fell into a familiar back-and-forth assault. Dorcas saved a few shots quite brilliantly, but also let in a few. She was having a hard time with the Hufflepuff's coordinated flying, which concealed who had the ball and who was going to shoot.

Hufflepuff was up 30-20 when Dorcas was hit with an errant Bludger, a move that was sufficiently dirty to draw a foul on Rob Pladd, the third-year who was new to the Hufflepuff squad. _Rob and Rob_, Lily thought sardonically. Rob Barkley, a fith-year, was the team's other Beater.

Unfortunately, James's shot was blocked by Bertram Archie, whose chest swelled with pride. James, meanwhile, fury written all over his face, jerking forward on his broom as they glided back to the center to resume play.

Lily zoned in and out of the game, cheering loudest when Gwyn scored a goal with a clever broom-sweep maneuver from a difficult angle. Beside her, Sirius screamed like a fanatic whenever the Gryffindors even had the slightest chance to threaten to get the ball near the Hufflepuff hoops, and groaned whenever their Chasers made it past Dorcas.

The Bludger must have been affecting her significantly, and Lily could see why. A dark bruise was already covering a good portion of the right side of her face, and her eye was becoming swollen shut.

"Come on, Dorcas, you got this one!" But she didn't, letting another one through to give Hufflepuff a 70-40 advantage.

As if things couldn't go any worse for the Gryffindor squad, James was hit by a legal Bludger attack that left his nose bleeding and possibly broken. When Madam Hooch approached he waved her off and kept flying, but judging by the frequency with which he was wiping his face with his sleeve he had to be hurt pretty badly. The scarlet sleeve concealed most of it, however.

He played with renewed energy after Gryffindor regained possession, scoring three goals on his own while the whole Hufflepuff team only managed one. His last was reckless to the point of foolhardy. While controlling the Quaffle, he had drawn a Bludger to him and then led it so close to the goal that Archie had flinched. With the split-second of hesitation he had practically dumped the Quaffle into the hoop.

Just as the tide seemed to be turning for Gryffindor, a gasp rose from the audience. Lily squinted, searching the pitch for a flash of gold. Sure enough, the Snitch was hovering by the left hoop of the Gryffindor goal, buzzing angrily as Chuck Winstrom and Malthus Dodge started giving chase.

It didn't take long to recognize that Dodge was the vastly superior flyer; he seemed to be able to manage two turns and three dips for every big sweeping loop that Chuck made. Although Dodge had started off much further off, he was significantly closer to the Snitch when a sudden _thump_ caused him to jerk his head down towards the field.

Winstrom had smacked the end of his broom against the ground while his attention had been focused on Dodge in front of him and fallen off. He shook his head and stumbled a bit when he tried to get up. Gwyn and James had landed and were trying to see if he was alright, while Nutcombe stayed above with Gregory Morgan and Ada Farncourt. Ada was playing especially well today; it seemed that every Bludger she hit found a way to strike a Hufflepuff player, although most of them were glancing blows.

"That's my girl!" Sirius shouted. Ada was the first girl to have filled the role of Beater on any House team in many years, although she certainly warranted the role. As tall as Sirius, and a bit taller than James, she had thick arms and shoulders and strength to match.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle and set down to see about Chuck. Apparently he was more or less fine, because he jumped back on his broom and took to the air after Gwyn and James. In the confusion, Dodge had lost the Snitch and resumed his patrol around the arena.

James was pointing and yelling, and she tried to imagine what he was saying. "Don't try anything fancy, just get the bloody Snitch!"

They needed it, she could see. Even while Chuck resumed his normal circuit, Jen managed to score another goal. She looked exultant as she flew by Lily, and a small part of her had to admit she was happy for her friend even if it was hurting Gryffindor. Jenn had always been overshadowed by her older sister Amelia, a star student at Hogwarts and a brilliant witch fast rising in the Ministry of Magic; the pitch was one area where she truly shone.

Something flashed in the corner of her eye as she followed James's wild swerving in between pylons. Turning her head, she saw a huge flock of black birds bursting out of the tree cover in the Dark Forest. _Crows, _she thought. _Or ravens._

A sense of foreboding touched her. Ravens were powerfully magical creatures, considered companions to the Dark Arts, and feared very little. Yet their cries as they rose over the forest sounded—to her ears, in any case—terrified.

A faint, almost inhuman scream floated across the way. Lily glanced around quickly, but no one else seemed to have noticed it. _Was that a shrike call?_ she wondered, remembering Alice's thoughts. She was struck by the fact that no one else seemed bothered. _Maybe I'm imagining things. If I hear it again, I'll know. _Unfortunately, whatever it was decided not to make the same noise again.

Lily reluctantly turned back to the game. Gryffindor was taking a tough beating now, the score had gone to a hundred fifty to a hundred ten. It didn't look like they were likely to catch up anytime, either. The Hufflepuff Chasers flew so close together when they had the ball that they forced the Gryffindors to fly right alongside them. When they were all jumbled up like that, none of the Beaters dared hit a Bludger their way for fear of friendly fire.

Dorcas saved another shot, and then another when Aubrey Prount intercepted her pass-in and tried for a quick, sneaky score.

"That girl sure flies gracefully," Sirius said admiringly. Even as the words were coming out of his mouth, however, Martin Yert managed to score on a trick pass from Jen.

Sirius was still cursing when a roar went up from the crowd and a hundred fingers suddenly pointed up in the air. Again, the Snitch had been sighted, this time in the center of the field. It hovered for a second, as if mocking both teams' Seekers, and then rocketed off.

Chuck was caught out of position, and struggled to readjust as Dodge elegantly ran his broom towards the Snitch. Lily hardly realized she had moved to the edge of her seat. Dodge really was a brilliant flyer, incredibly agile. As she watched him eat up the distance between him and the Snitch, she realized Gryffindor was going to lose, and lose badly.

Everyone seemed to have forgotten about the Chasers, their eyes riveted upon Dodge. Chuck had recovered enough that he was lagging behind the mop-headed boy by only a dozen meters or so, but he lost ground every time the Snitch changed direction dramatically and had to struggle to make it up.

Dodge's hand reached out for the Snitch, the leer of triumph on his face bringing a resounding groan from Gryffindor's supporters. Suddenly, however, a red flash cut across his path and he jerked backward, rearing up on the broom and nearly losing control. Chuck, who was so intent on the Snitch that he didn't even notice what had happened to Dodge, zoomed in and, stretching as far as his body would allow in front of him, barely managed to pluck the golden ball out of the air.

Madam Hooch's whistle ended it all. For a second the Gryffindors were too stunned to respond, or too confused. _What happened?_ Lily wasn't sure. Before they could ask too many questions, however, the Gryffindor side of the pitch exploded into cheering, applause, and whooping.

Sirius was leading a chant of, "Gryffindor! Gryffindor! Gryffindor!" His back to the arena, he couldn't have noticed that Bertram Archie and Malthus Dodge were zooming straight at Madam Hooch, pointing furiously at James and shouting at the top of their lungs. It was impossible to hear what they were saying, but clearly they weren't happy.

Rather than join in the elated celebrations, Lily began making her way down to the pitch as fast as possible. She got the feeling that the argument down there was about to get ugly. As she jumped onto the staircase and lost sight of the field, she could see James descending with a glower on his face, the rest of the Gryffindors flying fast to back him up.

"—ridiculous scare-tactic, that warranted a foul!"

"And it was a cheap way to win!" Archie and Dodge were assailing Madam Hooch with their claims, but she only shook her head.

"I can't do anything about it, boys. It was a legal shot, you were between him and the goal…"

"Bollocks!"

By this time James had touched down, and Archie whirled on him. "Admit it, Potter! You meant to block Malthus, that was a cheap trick!"

James just shrugged, although Lily could see the smile he was trying hard to keep off his face. "I just wanted to shoot while everyone was distracted, it made sense to—"

"Bollocks, you waited until he got into your way!"

"I think that's rather his own fault…"

"You knew you wouldn't score from there, you were ten feet away from your own bloody goal!"

"You never know," James insisted.

"Like hell you don't!"

Lily was running towards the center of the pitch, behind her she could sense most of Gryffindor House milling onto the field. Apparently there was some shoving going on in the back, as Hufflepuff supporters began angrily tangling with their counterparts.

A booming voice suddenly filled the air. "_Silence!_" Everyone's eyes turned up to Dumbledore in the center box.

"_Enough!_ Everyone will return to their dormitories immediately! Madam Hooch's ruling on the field, whatever it is, shall stand. There will be _no_ disputing her decision." His tone was so final that even Archie didn't dare say a word.

Madam Hooch shook her head as she turned back to the two Captains. "I'm sorry, Bertram, but that's the way it is. You know what a legal shot is, I can't do anything about it." Lily could tell she had thought it was a trick, though, because she looked unhappy when she said it.

Bertram whirled at James and spat at his feet. "You _stole_ this match from us, Potter! Don't think we'll forget it!" And with that, he and the rest of the Hufflepuff squad stormed off the field.

Seeing that a fight probably wasn't going to break out, the Gryffindors went back to their own changing room. James, however, stayed behind and, after whispering a few words to Madam Hooch, joined Lily.

"That _was_ a pretty cheap trick," Lily said finally.

He shrugged. "Yeah, I know." His face appeared nowhere near as happy as it had when he had been taunting Archie, and once again she found herself reexamining him. Ever since their conversation on the train, there had been a few scattered moments when he had faltered or seemed uncertain of himself, so unlike the old James. Lily began to feel bad about laying it on him. He probably didn't need another person complaining about how he won the match.

She sighed. "He _was_ in your way, though. It was a perfectly legal shot, right?"

"Yes," James said, grinning. "That it was, Lily. That it was."

"Is your nose alright?" she asked, reaching up tentatively.

His hand suddenly shifted up to his face, and she withdrew hers before he noticed. "I guess. I think it might have been broken, but when we got the timeout to see if Chuck was okay Gwyn did a quick _Episkey _on me."

"Never knew she had a talent for Healing Charms."

"Why?" James asked, suddenly alarmed. "Is my nose crooked or anything?"

"Alas, no," Lily said regretfully. "It seems Gwyn didn't make any improvements. She's not a cosmetic healer, after all."

He adopted an expression of mock outrage. "Hey, _I_ like my nose just the way it is, thank you very much."

"Yes, well, you know what they say."

"What?"

"There's no accounting for taste, is there?"


	11. Gorgeous Interruptions

Chapter Eleven – Gorgeous Interruptions

"Oh, come off it, Potter, you can't fool me by pretending to be offended." But James refused to say anything, holding his chin up high as they walked out of the arena's western gate.

Before very long, however, the two of them were beset upon by some third-years who had been dithering around the pitch. Lily wondered why they weren't already up in the common room celebrating, but had her answer soon enough.

"That was wicked smart!"

"Brilliant!"

"Can I have your autograph?"

James chuckled and signed a few of their notebooks, giving her a lopsided grin while the quill wavered in his hand. She could see where the cuff of his robe was becoming crusty with dried blood, and felt a pang of concern for him.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked. "Madam Pomfrey should probably take a look at you."

"I'm sure. Good as new," he said.

She had already started heading up towards the castle.

"Hey, you aren't going to wait for me?"

She threw her hair back over her shoulder. "Not a chance, Potter. I'm not missing the party for you."

He had a slightly miffed expression on his face as she sauntered off, but there were still quite a few scraps of paper being pushed at him from all directions. Their cries faded away as Lily rounded the bend and looked upwards. From where she stood, the top of Gryffindor Tower was a dim outline against the pure blue of the sky. The lip of the tower was adorned with leaves in gold and red and brown, like some sort of crown upon a grim stone head. Light blazed through the windows, and she could see movement inside.

After Quidditch matches, the professors were generally willing to turn a blind eye to any celebrating that might go on. Gryffindor was particularly noted since Harvey's uncle worked at the Hog's Head and made sure they always had enough cases of butterbeer after big matches.

And indeed, when Lily entered through the portal she could clearly see that Harvey hadn't failed them. In the center of the room were four huge cases so large they probably had had to use magic to get them up the stairs. People were shouting and cheering, streamers flying through the air and miniature indoor fireworks popping off from a dozen different wands waving in the air.

"Lily!" Gwyn was clearly visible, towering over the crowd as she made her way across the room.

"Brilliant match, wasn't it?" For her friend's sake, Lily feigned some enthusiasm. An owl was fluttering around her head, and she ducked down.

"Get off her, Biter, she's a friend." Gwyn's owl was notorious for having well-earned its name, so Lily stayed down while Gwyn shooed it off.

The two of them were soon joined by Alice, who—Lily couldn't help noticing—was holding hands with a certain sixth-year boy.

"This is Frank Longbottom," she said to them. "Frank, these are Gwyn Dunter and Lily Evans, I don't know if you guys have met yet…"

"Hullo, Frank!"

Frank spoke with just a touch of nervousness. "Great flying, Gwyn!"

"Thanks," she said. "You know, you don't have to spend your time hanging out with us boring old girls, just go off and have some fun!" She shooed Frank and Alice away, then turned back to Lily.

"Those two need some alone time," she smirked.

"Definitely," Lily agreed. "Did you see how red Alice was? It's cute, she's so nervous around him—"

"Yeah, those two fit well together." For a second Lily thought Gwyn was going to bring up James again—sometimes she swore that girl was more on James's side than hers, especially with the two of them being teammates…but perhaps Gwyn saw a warning sign in her face, because she didn't say any more.

"I hope Jen's not too mad at us," she said.

"Why would she—about that episode with James and Dodge, you mean?"

"Yeah," Gwyn said. "Brilliant trick. Definitely a trick, but brilliant."

Lily sighed. "For all his talk about wanting House unity though, he might just have blown it all up. You know how much people care about Quidditch."

Gwyn shrugged. "I'm sure you two can figure it out."

_Yes_, Lily realized regretfully, _that would be our job. _"It was rather bone-headed of him, though. I mean, it's really giving himself more work."

"True. But James is one of those people who doesn't take time to puzzle everything out in the heat of the moment. Very instinctual, that one."

Gwyn turned back to her. "It's why you two make such a good team, you know. _Working_, I mean, not anything else. You're good together because you balance him out, Lily. He's too wild without you, you're more controlled."

"You make me sound like some sour old woman who can't have a bit of fun," Lily protested.

"Not like that, you know what I mean."

Before she had a chance to respond, the door swung in again and admitted James and some of the third-years who had followed him back up to the school. Sirius had jumped onto a table and shouted, "And here's the man of the hour!"

James gave Sirius a lazy salute, and Sirius returned it, throwing a bottle of butterbeer down to him. When he opened it, it sputtered in his face and foamed over, leaving him with frothy spume all over his robes.

"Good one, Sirius!" he shouted.

"Come on, Prongs, I know you like 'em bubbly…so I shook it up just for you!" He ducked back into the milling crowd as James started running after him, jokingly promising to get him back with a Hair-Buzzer Jinx.

"We'll see how your girlfriend likes it when she sees you half-bald!"

Lily just shook her head as Gwyn went to get them some butterbeers. When she came back, she had both James and Sirius in tow.

"I thought you'd be the best one to sort these two out," she explained. "Wouldn't want them making too much trouble."

"What, me? Trouble?"

"Sirius, I do believe she's accuse us of being…" James lowered his voice into a stage whisper. "…_ruffians_."

"No, I would never imagine doing that," Lily said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Not without your trusty accomplices. Where are poor brow-beaten Remus and little Peter, anyways?"

The question seemed to surprise both of them; their heads jerked to the side and their eyes made contact for a split second.

"Out with it," Lily said. "They're up to something, aren't they?"

"No, Remus just left the school visiting his mother, and Peter went with him for the weekend," Sirius said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, just the usual." Lily doubted it, given the look that had passed between Sirius and James, but she figured she wasn't going to get any information out of them now. Besides, it even seemed somewhat cruel to do it while the whole House was celebrating. _Let them have their fun_, she thought.

"I'm sure whatever they're doing is harmless," she said. "Well, I won't interrupt your fun anymore—"

"Actually, I don't mind such gorgeous interruptions—"

Sirius cut James off with a shove and started pushing him away into the crowd. " 'Gorgeous interruptions'…that sounds like a spell you'd use to make someone stop eating. _Gorgus Interruptus_ or something…" He sniggered. "Come on, James, take a hint when you get one, she's letting us off the hook…"

_At least one of them gets it_, she reflected wryly. But that didn't explain the small pang of regret she felt when James turned back and gave her one last fleeting glance before being swarmed by ecstatic, wand-waving Gryffindors.

"I will never understand why you aren't going out with that boy," Gwyn said as they disappeared out of sight.

"But," she continued hastily. "That's all I'll say, I don't want a fight today. Come on, let's mix it up, I don't want the boys having all the fun!" And she grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her into the center of the roiling mass.

-000-

Lily woke early enough the next day that she could still see the stars outside the window. She vaguely remembered she hadn't gotten to bed until about three in the morning. _Merlin's beard, why am I up already?_

She opened a window for some fresh air. The moon was huge in the sky, although full-moon had come a few days ago. It was like some immense blind eye, always gazing futilely down upon them. As the first light crept over the scraggly branches and warmed the fields below, she caught sight of Hagrid's massive pumpkins. The sight reminded her that tonight the Halloween Feast would be taking place.

_Our last year's going by so fast_. It hardly seemed like yesterday that a flickering bulb had alerted her to the presence of James Potter standing on her lawn, and perhaps a week since she'd finished her O.W.L.'s. _My God, that was a year and a half ago._

She was still staring out the window when she heard blankets shuffling behind her.

"Lily?" Alice's voice was still thick with sleep. "That you?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Need more sleep," Alice muttered, her head sinking below the mound made by her comforter. Lily was about to say, "Sure," but then realized Alice was already snoring.

Two hours later, Saria Champs woke up and wandered off with a huge yawn straight to breakfast. Gwyn and Alice got up shortly thereafter, and when all three of them had finished taking showers and getting ready they went down to the Great Hall together.

The day passed in a haze for Lily. The teachers had let them off the hook on a lot of work before the weekend. McGonagall and Sprout had been more concerned with the fates of the their respective Houses, and even Flitwick and Slughorn—who obviously had an interest in the standings—had acquiesced and given them some light reading.

Without much to do, the girls spent the morning lounging around lazily. Gwyn, whose father was a Muggle journalist, sent her the Sunday edition of the _Times_, which she read every week from cover to cover. Afterwards, someone in the room always wanted to borrow it for the novelty of reading news that didn't have moving pictures.

Around them, the room was a flurry of activity. A group of sixth-years were busily working on enchanting a rather dull cabinet, although Lily couldn't imagine what class would have required such a project. Elsewhere, a third-year was holding a clamshell tightly in hand, occasionally releasing what appeared to be a baby Boggart.

At least, Lily assumed that it was, since whenever the shell opened a gigantic black dog jutted its head out before the girl shut it in fright. The thing managed to startle Sirius, who happened to be walking out of the boys' dormitories as she opened it.

"The spell's _Riddikulus_," he said after a second, then wiped his eyes and stumbled downstairs, no doubt planning to raid the kitchens for a late brunch.

In the afternoon they headed down to Hagrid's cabin to help him sort out the pumpkins for that night's feast. A few of the smaller ones were going to be given to the kitchen elves so they could start baking pies, while the largest ones were set to serve as display pieces.

Teams of five were playing a simplified version of Quidditch on the yard, and there was even a game of soccer going on. When they stopped to take a look, Hagrid grunted and said, "I'll ne'er see why anyun'd need to play tha' game when they've got a broom."

"Oh, Hagrid, just because it doesn't need magic doesn't mean it's not fun."

"I'll take yer word for it, Gwyn…" he said, tone heavy with doubt.

When they'd finished with that, they drifted back to the common room and played a few games of wizards' chess. Lily was fairly good at the game, knocking off Gwyn and Alice before being challenged and beaten by a fourth-year she hadn't met before who came in with Alyssa Bagnold.

"Name's Chris Paul," he said. He spoke so rapidly she could hardly separate the words. "Mum and Dad are both Muggles—" She wanted to say that she was the same, but he was already moving on. "So I grew up with plain ol' Muggle chess. Won a few championships for meself back in Edinburgh, somehow people always seemed to make mistakes at just the righ' moments for me, you know? But then I got me letter from Hogwarts, and there it was, I thought, I'd been doin' magic all those years. Made me feel bad, like I was cheating, although it wasn' really like cheating because I didn' know at the time. But then I got here and found I could still beat people now and then, eh? So maybe some of it was me after all."

He wandered off to find some of his friends in Gryffindor after they were done. She jokingly attributed her loss to distraction due to his constant jabbering. Alyssa shrugged.

"I've had to get used to him." As it so happened, he was a good friend of her younger brother Humphrey, who was the Ravenclaw Keeper. "Can't wait for the Feast tonight. I feel like I've waited all summer for it."

When the time finally came, it didn't disappoint. Grand as the Opening Feast was, it lacked an overarching theme. The Halloween Feast, on the other hand, took its lead from the holiday. Rich plumes of orange and black silk draped the hall, and all the ghosts of the school attended in their very finest. Nearly-Headless Nick stood at the doorway greeting students, doffing his head to every girl who entered while saying, "M'lady."

All the tables were covered with a rich assortment of candies, including special Chocolate Frogs made with ghostly white chocolate and Bernie Bott's every-flavor jelly beans in orange and black colors only. "You wonder how many different flavors you can have that taste orange," Alyssa said warily. "After orange and peach, you shudder to think what they came up with…"

Hagrid's massive pumpkins stood watch over the staff table, one each at the foot of every professor's place. The largest, of course, was placed in front of Dumbledore's seat. Its face was a bemused grin, and its left eye was drawn in a permanent wink.

When all the students had filed in and sat down, the Headmaster stood up to give a brief speech.

"I know you all would rather eat your fill then hear me," he announced. A few students, led by James and Sirius, jokingly pounded their cups on the table and shouted their approval.

Dumbledore held up a Chocolate Frog. "Therefore I will only mention that I have always preferred these ghost-frogs to the regular kind. Mm," he said, biting into it. "But they are so difficult to find after the holiday is over. Well, with that said, let the feast begin!"

The platters in front of them magically filled with rich dishes of every kind, and conversation resumed at the tables while Dumbledore made his way back to the staff table.

Most of the talk, not surprisingly,centered on the previous day's Quidditch match. Gwyn's Hufflepuff suitors were still in an uproar about what they were calling a "Potter Block," although they seemed to have forgiven her personally. Sam Sawbridge jerked his fork angrily out of a piece of roast pork and pointed it at James.

"Don't tell me that wasn't a trick. If it hadn't blocked Dodge, it would have been a wasted shot."

"Consider," James said philosophically, "if one thinks of every shot in a game of Quidditch as something that moves the team closer to victory, then really the shot I took at the end wasn't at all wasted."

Sam scowled, and Gwyn put a hand on his arm and said, "James, stop mocking him." Apparently Sam and Molly Ipsen had seen the end of their relationship, if Gwyn was defending him.

After a while they branched out and covered different topics, although a few of the Hufflepuffs left off disappointed that James hadn't risen to the bait.

"I like Slughorn's essay topics, ordinarily, but this one is terrible," Rastifer Marbrand said. Short and skinny, he wore his auburn hair pushed to the side. He was trying to grow a mustache, judging by the whispery growth on his upper lip.

"What's wrong with it?" Lily asked.

"What's wrong with it, Evans? What's wrong with—_Describe the primary strengths and capabilities of potions, and explain the central weakness inherent to every active concoction._ It's the broadest thing ever. Potions can do—well, anything!"

"Exactly," she said. "That's the primary strength right there. Potions can do almost anything."

"Eh? I don't follow."

Lily sighed. "You're not supposed to give him a laundry list of everything a potion can possibly do. I mean, look at _Advanced Potion Making_. You'd have to rewrite the whole book, and that'd only be a sample of everything you could do."

"Exactly," Rastifer moaned. "So how am I supposed to finish on three sheets?"

"You don't list at all. The strength of potions _is_ the fact that they're capable of almost anything. Versatility, you see. So instead of listing every type of potion, you just say something like, 'A skilled potions-maker can create almost any desired effect'…and then add a few examples."

"Hey, that actually makes a lot of sense."

"Glad to hear it," she said.

His eyes shot up, as if he was deep in thought. "Thanks a bunch, Lily."

"Don't mention it." Rastifer still looked quite preoccupied with the idea, and stood up from the table as if he was going to finish the essay right at that moment rather than wait and risk forgetting it.

As he left, James said, "You didn't mention the weakness to him, though."

"Well, I can't give him everything, now, can I?"

"Why not?"

"It's called cheating, James. It's that thing you do when you and Sirius sometimes finish Peter's homework for him…"

James's eyebrows peaked, as if he was saying, _Oh yeah, that_.

"So what is the weakness, Evans? You can tell me, you know, since I didn't get the first part."

"Not sure about how Slughorn will take your essay, Potter?"

"Just wondering," he said. "I've already written mine, I swear I won't change it."

Lily considered, then said, "Well, alright. I'm guessing the weakness Slughorn wants us to point out is that an effect from a potion is always easily reversible."

"How so?" He seemed genuinely interested, so Lily went on.

"Every poison has an antidote, every disease a cure. And anything you could take to create a certain effect—happiness, anger, confidence, whatever—wears away eventually. The magic is connected to the ingredients, and your body washes them out sooner or later."

"So the potty ruins the potion?" he joked. She laughed.

"That's one way of seeing it. Or you could say the effect of a potion is never as true as the real thing. I could take something to create joy, but unless there was really a reason for being happy it wouldn't last. Or, even worse, you can tell there isn't a reason for it, so even though you're ecstatic and can't control that, you're also miserable."

He looked thoughtful for awhile. "That's not what I wrote," he said at last. "Oh well, old Sluggy's probably going to knock off a few."

"What'd you put?" She had to admit she was curious.

"Well, I didn't think about what you said, because I figured most magic is temporary or wears off. Like, if I transfigured that pumpkin into a unicorn, it'd prance around the room, but by tomorrow it'd start turning orange and four days from now it'd be a gigantic walking squash."

She smiled as the image walked through her head.

"Anyways, I said that potions were weak because you need to get someone to take them. It means you can't really do much to objects with potions, or to people who aren't going to be tricked into drinking whatever you put in their hand."

She must have given off the impression of startled, because he said, "Wow, so I'm really that wrong, huh? Sluggy's going to kill me?"

"No," she replied. "Actually I think you probably came up with a better answer than I did. I didn't think of that."

James reached over and pulled a tray of blueberries over. Picking a few, he began tossing them up in the air and catching them with his mouth. In between bites he said, "In any case, Slughorn grades your essays like they were the key, so you don't have to worry about it."

Gwyn jumped into the conversation then. "Talking potions?"

"Yeah, Slughorn's last essay."

"That wasn't a fun one," Gwyn said. "What part were you discussing, the gigantic vague thing about strengths, or the gigantic vague thing about weaknesses?"

"Both," James mused. "Now, here's a question that'd interest me. What do you think's the most powerful form of magic?"

"Like, you mean, Transfiguration or Charms or Potions or—"

"Yeah, like that."

"Well, if it actually worked, Divination would be," Lily joked.

"Good answer. Gwyn, your turn."

"I'd say Transfiguration, if you're really a master at it. Can change anything into anything, right? Refuse into gold."

"What about you?" Lily asked. "You asked the question, do you have an answer for it?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "I think Charms, maybe. Like I was saying, potions can't effect objects, only people or animals or plants. But charms can hit everything. So if nothing else, they're probably the most useful."

A creaking sound interrupted him, and his head spun to the right. Lily craned hers to see the main doors, which were opening slowly to admit the heavy-bodied figure she recognized as Reckay Bringfer. Despite the heat inside the hall, which was warmed by dozens of fires, he gave no sign of discomfort at being dressed in a thick coat that doubled the thickness of his arms. There was thick fur lining the neck and cuffs, which clung tightly to his wrists.

Ignoring the eyes of the students, the hunter quickly strode forward towards the staff table. Every voice in the hall had fallen silent, and in the dead quiet his whisper sounded like wind scraping against broken rock. Whatever it was, Lily could tell it was an ugly bit of news he was bringing.

After listening to the man whispering in his ear, Dumbledore nodded once and then put his hand lightly on the hunter's arm. Lily noticed how Bringfer jerked away at the gesture, but Dumbledore mumbled some words to him and he backed into a corner by the table.

"Excuse me, students! Excuse me." His voice reached every niche and crevasse of the hall, even without using _Sonorus_. "If you would, please, follow your Prefects back to the dormitories. Calmly, please, and quietly. There is a matter which requires our attention, and it would be best if you were safe in the towers while we see to it."

A sudden flood of voices shook the rafters, and Dumbledore had to use the Amplifying Charm to quiet them down again. When they settled down, he crooked a finger at the Gryffindor table.

"Miss Evans, Mister Potter, if you would be so kind." He indicated they were to come up to the main table. "All Prefects, please lead your students up to the dormitories. Whatever happens, stay _in_ the castle. The castle is safe." With that, he turned around and began pulling staff members together in front of the dais. Lily shot a glance over her shoulder to make sure James was following her; behind, Lupin and Dorcas Meadowes—a bandage covering up her eye—were leading the Gryffindors out into the main entrance area.

When Lily and James reached the circle of professors, the Headmaster motioned towards Bringfer.

"If you would be so kind," he said, his tone polite but urgent, "please tell them what you have just told me."

Reckay scrutinized the group, as if sizing each of them up in turn. When his eyes fell on Lily, she straightened her back and willed her face to seem like stone. _He won't see any fear in me_, she promised.

Finally satisfied, he said, "Here's the quick and short truth of it. I've found a body just outside the forest." Gasps escaped from Jabitha and Slughorn. "Dead. Not for long, either. All scratched up, deep cuts, so something big and vicious. They just managed to drag themselves here, by the looks of it, before their strength gave out."

With a sick feeling to her stomach, Lily remembered the scream she had heard from the woods during the Quidditch match. Had it been whomever Bringfer had just found? Could she have saved them if she had told someone?

Slughorn murmured something that sounded like half a prayer. Bringfer threw him a look that would have frozen a good-sized lake. "Pull yourself together, man."

Dumbledore didn't amend Bringfer's rather harsh suggestion. "Now, you know as well as I that there is _something_ in those woods, yes. Something that was not there before, and should not be there now. I doubt we will find it tonight, but for now it is important enough that we retrieve the body. Whoever it was deserves a decent burial."

Professor McGonagall was beside herself. "Who could it be, though? The only people close enough are from—" She didn't finish the rest, but Lily knew. Hogsmeade.

Bringfer filled it in. "Hogsmeade. You don't need to worry yourselves, whatever it is has probably gone into hiding. It was a wizard he killed, and wandless I found him, so he probably gave the beast a good deal of trouble, chased him off. You can just take care of your students, Dumbledore and I can see to the body."

The Headmaster nodded. "Heads of House, please see to your respective students. They need your guidance, your voices, in a time like this. Tell them as much as you think it would be wise for them to know. They deserve the truth now."

Bringfer had already started heading towards the doors. "Lily, James, you will come with me and our good Mr. Bringfer here. You as well, Melle. And you as well, Horace." Jabitha and Slughorn were almost as stunned as Bringfer, but he was the first to open his mouth.

"We don't need six to carry a body," he said, his tone harsh and grating.

"No, we don't," Dumbledore said. "But I trust Melle to see whether some visible mark of the Dark Arts is indicated in the nature of the attack. And you, Horace, for the same sign of any potion or other oddity."

"What? Uh…yes, yes, of course. A most prudent course of action," Slughorn said.

Lily couldn't help wondering why Dumbledore would need James and her to come along when he had two professors and a Ministry official, but she decided to keep her mouth shut. Dumbledore must have had his reasons. James must have concluded the same thing, because he said nothing as they followed the Headmaster.

The somewhat eclectic party Dumbledore had selected made its way out of the castle while everyone else was milling around the entrance hall. Lily had one last glimpse of the hall behind her and saw Alice and Gwyn standing on the first landing. She waved at them, seeing the looks of concern on their faces.

Reckay Bringfer took the lead as they left the castle. He took long, loping strides that carried him farther than everyone else, and he often adopted an irritated expression when he had to stop and wait for them to catch up.

When they finally reached the trees, he put up a hand to signal for them to stop. He abruptly turned to the left and continued along the treeline.

"Sorry 'bout that, forgot which way it was for a second and had to get my bearings. The sun was up when I left the body."

Dumbledore was murmuring distractedly. "Understandable, certainly understandable."

When they finally found him, Slughorn recoiled and drew his hands up as if it was something distasteful. The body was contorted hideously, as if the victim had been crawling out of the woods when he heard something coming from behind. He was twisted at the waist, his face curled up in a snarl.

In the half-light, Lily could see he had unremarkable hair; the color reminded her of beech trees where it wasn't streaked through with a lighter silver. His face, however, was unrecognizable. Deep scratches ran from forehead to lower jaw, distorting the features underneath.

"Good God," Professor Jabitha said. She ran a wand hurriedly over the body, then said, "I don't think it's Dark Arts that killed him, Dumbledore. But whatever did this didn't need the Dark Arts." She shuddered.

Lily felt a hand take hers, and then sensed James at her shoulder. His eyes were wide, but she felt the steadiness in his grip and noticed that his other hand was clutching his wand.

"Can we track him? Through the woods, I mean."

Dumbledore looked at them searchingly for a moment. "Yes, James. That is a sound suggestion. It looks as if he was not merely running away from something, but towards something." He inclined his head in the direction of the castle. "Towards Hogwarts, I would hazard to guess. Now that we know where he wanted to get, it would be best to know from whence he came. Horace, if you would—"

Slughorn started when he heard his name, then knelt at the body. "I'll see to this as soon as I get back to my office," he promised. Drawing a small vial out of his robes, he tried to get a sample of the blood.

Lily suddenly realized something as she watched Slughorn struggling with the victim's arm. "There's not enough blood," she said.

"What?" Ringfer's voice was deadly sharp.

"Look," she said, drawing her hand out of James's grip. "Look how deep the scratches are. And the ones on his arms as well, and across the chest. But Professor Slughorn can hardly draw a drop. And there would be blood all over the ground, but there's hardly any here. Or on the leaves there, where he broke through, see?" She pointed at the bushes, whose broken branches were swinging sadly in the moonlight.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said. "Indeed."

"He might've lost some on the way." Ringfer said.

"Yes, perhaps that can explain it." Dumbledore pursed his lips and ran a hand through his long beard.

Lily decided to tell them, pushing her own guilt aside. "Professor. Yesterday, at the Quidditch match. I thought I heard a scream or something from the woods. I thought it was just a bird or something, but—"

Dumbledore peered into her eyes, then nodded. It was as if he had wanted Lily there so she could tell them what she'd heard. _How could he know?_ she wondered. But of course, that was a silly question to ask when it came to Dumbledore.

"Yes, it does seem likely that our victim here has been dead since yesterday. The lack of blood…this is not a fresh kill, as you can all see. Let us not forget this fact. Mr. Ringfer, I trust you will be wanting to trace his path back through the woods?"

"Of course," the Ministry hunter said darkly.

"Will you be needing assistance? There are dangers in these woods."

The man made a hacking sound, and after a second Lily realized it was his laugh. "I'll be fine," he said. "If it comes to it, I'll teach the beasts to be afraid of _me_." Without another word, he vanished into the Dark Forest. As soon as he disappeared behind the foliage, she realized she couldn't even hear the sound of his steps.

Dumbledore reassumed authority. "Professor Jabitha, if you would be so kind." He motioned towards the body, and she started forward. She used a spell to levitate the body upwards, and drew it in front of her as she hurried back to the castle.

Slughorn's head swiveled nervously towards the castle, then said, "I'll see to this, then." His hasty departure left them alone with the Headmaster, whose breath came in slow bursts of mist. It was chilly for October.

"Professor, sir?"

"Yes, James."

"Why did we need to be here?" Apparently the question could no longer wait to be asked. Dumbledore put a hand on James's elbow and gestured towards the castle.

"Walk with me. Come, come, move your feet. There, now, good. I will explain." They followed him across the grounds, and he stroked his beard.

"It was a difficult thing I asked of both of you tonight. It is a terrible thing to look upon death, as you have. I thought it necessary, and therefore forgivable, for several reasons. Can you guess what they are?"

James was silent, waiting for Dumbledore to go on. Lily took the time to think.

"Because of the other students," she said as it dawned on her. "You knew there'd be rumors, so you wanted students to come with you to make sure that people knew the truth."

Dumbledore nodded. "You are very clever, Miss Evans. As I'm sure you've heard before, so I'll not dwell on it. But yes, you see. No matter how many times the students heard the truth from teachers, they would trust their own peers more. Often I have seen young men and women choose to believe wild tales invented by certain story-tellers—" He paused to glance at James. "Good friends though they may be, Mr. Potter."

"I would have you tell them what you saw," he continued. "Yes, everything. The whole and honest truth must be told; withholding information, as much as embellishing it, pollutes belief."

"You said there were other reasons, though," James said.

"Yes, I did. You will notice, I am sure, that when we found the body, Mr. Bringfer saw nothing but a corpse, beneath his notice. Professor Slughorn saw something hideous, something he would just as soon turn away from as face. And Professor Jabitha saw a person who had been killed not by magic, but by pure physical force. Each in turn quickly concocted an explanation that suited them, and arrived at their own conclusions. You understand?"

"Yes, I think so." James's face was deathly pale, and his skin was drawn tight.

"I believe each of you brought rather a different pair of eyes to the scene. Miss Evans, you brought us the knowledge of what you heard yesterday, and pointed out the lack of blood. I am rather certain that, as Mr. Bringfer tracks our poor victim's path back through the woods, he will find almost none at all. Your insight was invaluable. And as for you, Mr. Potter…" Dumbledore turned to him and patted him on the back. He was shaking, Lily saw. _Something's wrong._

"Everything, everything we have just seen together, will fall into place in your mind. Indeed the process has already begun; already you are drawing conclusions, making guesses that I believe very few others in this castle would hazard. There is already an inkling growing in you that you hate." Dumbledore's gaze was intense and unblinking as he drew his hand over to James's shoulder.

"Do not let yourself be blinded, examine every possibility. But let me reassure you. What happened tonight is not what you fear. Be certain of that…and of your friend. You may be the only one who can save him now."

With those words, and without a good night, Dumbledore swept up the steps and disappeared.


	12. Moony's Secret

Chapter Twelve – Moony's Secret

"What did he mean?" Lily demanded. When James didn't answer, she repeated the question.

"James, look at me. _Look at me_." She grabbed his head in both hands and forced their eyes to meet. She saw something defiant flash from behind the frames of his glasses, but she didn't let go. "There's something you know. Tell me."

Agony played across his face, his mouth opening once or twice and then snapping shut again. She slid one hand down to his cheek.

"Tell me," she pleaded. "Please. I can help." A reflection of the torches behind them bent in his glasses, lending him the air of being possessed. She could still smell the night on him, the air's crisp scent and the earthiness of bark. After what seemed like hours, he nodded.

"Come with me," he said then, his voice betraying no hint of emotion. His jaw set determinedly, he bounded up the steps two or even three at a time as Lily struggled to keep up.

"Where are we going?" she asked, bewildered. The stairs above them were shifting into place, and the portraits jabbered angrily at them as they passed, demanding answers, but he paid no attention.

"Come on!" he said.

"Watch for the invisible step!" He stumbled for a second, then leapt it and continued on without thanking her. She realized they were heading back to the Gryffindor common room.

"Why—?" Before she had a chance to insist on stopping, he had already swung open the portrait door.

"Remus," he said. Inside, they found a huddle of frightened faces and heard the curious whispers that were threatening to become a flood of questions. "With me, now. Sirius, Peter, you too. Dorcas, can you and Frank make sure everyone stays here until we come back?" The girl nodded, her eyes wide with fright. Sirius gently touched Dorcas's elbow as he walked by, the contact seemingly reassuring her. She drew herself up to her full height, the Prefect badge readily visible on her chest.

"Keep them calm," James said, closing the door behind them.

"Alright, James, what's going on, I want answers now—"

"You'll get them, I promise. But not here. I don't want to be overheard—" He inspected the portraits suspiciously.

"Are you serious?"

He shrugged. "They talk, Lily." Then he started climbing another set of stairs, Sirius following close behind.

"James, what's going—"

"You'll have answers too, Sirius. I promise. Trust me. We need to get somewhere we can talk, without…ears." A few of the paintings huffed as they heard James.

Behind them, the Fat Lady could be heard saying, "_Well_, if I'm not to be trusted, perhaps I shan't open the door upon your return…"

Lily followed James as they ascended further up and up. She had a fairly good idea of where they were going now, and she could tell Sirius had figured it out too. Remus looked wary but exhausted, sickly. She wondered what had happened to him.

She could smell the owls before they reached the tower, an indescribable must that drifted down from the aviary and was incredibly strong inside the vaulted chamber where they all huddled and lived. Bird droppings coated the stone like thick gobs of white or grey paint, and feathers covered all surfaces, floating up gently as their feet brushed through them. The ones that weren't asleep hooted irregularly, a constant backdrop of ambient noise.

"Alright, James, we're here," Sirius said, anger creeping into his voice. "Now what the hell is all this about?"

James took a deep breath and began to explain everything to them. Lily, who already knew what he was telling them, grew increasingly impatient. But she figured she was going to get her answers at the end of this, so she waited. Halfway through the telling, Remus seemed to stagger, and James grabbed him by the arm and sat him down on a wooden crate.

Sirius's eyes were intent on him when he finished. "So it looked like a—"

James gulped and nodded. "Good God, but it couldn't have been—I was—I was with him the whole time, I would have seen—" Peter's voice sounded scared, frightened.

"No, I know, it can't have been. But we need to figure this out quickly. Dumbledore can't keep it from the governors if they hear about this, they'll want answers…"

Lily was tired of being left in the dark. "What are you all talking about?" She turned to Peter. "What do you mean, you were with him? You knew him?"

James shook his head. "Not the victim, Lily. Peter was with Remus."

"What does he have to do with—?"

"Lily, if we tell you something, can we trust you to keep it a secret?"

She recoiled. "How can I know until I hear it?"

"I'm serious," he said. He grabbed her by the arm. "We need to know. If we tell you something, will you keep it secret? No matter what."

"James, I can't—"

His voice sounded like chalk on a blackboard. "Please. We need to know we can trust you on this. No matter what."

Sirius was at James's shoulder, arms folded over his chest. A good two inches taller than James, and wider in the shoulders, he seemed especially grim with shadows obscuring half his face.

"James, you shouldn't make her promise you that," Remus's voice sounded from behind them. It started out thick, as if he were drunk or stupefied, but grew raspy at the end.

"Remus, we're trying to—"

"I know what you're trying to do, James, and I appreciate it. But I'll tell her if you don't."

James sighed. "Alright. I don't know quite how to put this, but…"

"Remus is a werewolf," Sirius said bluntly. James raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, how else are you supposed to say it? I wasn't going to keep talking about 'his furry little problem' until she got it."

James acknowledged the fact reluctantly. "I guess you're right. Was a bit sudden, though."

Remus chuckled behind them. "Not something you can really soften much, though, is it?" The four boys exchanged furtive glances with each other and then burst out laughing, however briefly.

Lily was dumbstruck. _Remus a…_It made so much sense. The monthly visits home to see a sick mother. His drained physical appearance. Even Sirius's little pet phrase that everyone had heard a million times. 'His furry little problem.'

"We thought you had a sick owl at home or something!" was the first thing she managed to say, although she realized how irrelevant it was the instant it left her lips.

"No, my furry little problem is all me," Remus said. He shivered a little. "James, Sirius, and Peter have protected my secret all these years. Every month I've been taken to a—a secret place, where I'm locked up—"

"That's terrible!" she interjected. But he merely shook his head.

"It is necessary," he said. "I'm a danger to others, even to myself. But my friends…" He paused to indicate James, Sirius, and Peter. "My friends have made sure that I couldn't hurt anyone." Peter had begun pacing at this point, and Sirius was standing so rigidly it was as if he had become another statue.

"And you didn't," Peter said frantically. "I was there, I know—"

"And I didn't," Remus said firmly, holding up a hand. "I'm glad you were there, Peter. You can tell others, if it comes to that."

"It won't," James said, his voice more determined than Lily had ever heard it.

Sirius laughed bitterly. "We can't know that," he said. "If it is another werewolf attacking people—and it sounds like it, how are we going to convince them? 'Oh no, Mister Minister, it's not our friend the werewolf, who's here at Hogwarts, it must be another one we don't know about.' James, it's…"

"I know it's going to be tough," he snapped.

"Near impossible, was what I was thinking."

Lily needed to sit down. She found a crate next to Remus, and then looked him in the eye. His eyes were grey, and in them she could see the same gentle boy she had known for so many years.

"So Peter was with you the whole time you—you were different?"

Remus nodded. "I swear it. There was no way for me to get out if they didn't want me to, and Peter was with me the whole time. I'm sure I didn't hurt anybody."

"Which means," Lily said, "that there has to be another werewolf out there. As ridiculous as that sounds, I know, Sirius."

"We won't be able to prove it just by our word," he said. "A bunch of students isn't nearly enough to convince a full Ministry inquiry, if it comes to that." He put a hand on Remus's shoulder. "And you know, if the parents get wind of this, they'll probably throw you out before any investigation's made anyways."

"Yes," Remus said. He sounded so old, weary. "Perhaps I should just leave…"

"No!" Lily said sharply, realizing a second later that her protest had been echoed by James, Sirius, and Peter at the same time.

"James, Sirius, Peter...and Lily, now, you too. You're taking too much risk upon yourselves. I'm not worth it." He waved off their protests. "If they find out, it'll mean I'm done. But it could very well mean the end for you as well, and I won't have that hanging over my head."

"You're our friend, Remus." James's voice brooked no argument, but Remus continued as if he hadn't heard anything.

"You've already done as much for me as you can," he said. "Too much. Maybe—maybe when they catch the real culprit, I can return…but if they find out you've been hiding my…my condition…before then—" He left the rest unsaid.

Lily knew he was right. It would likely mean expulsion from the school. Dumbledore would understand, she was sure, but Dumbledore didn't control everything. If the governors overwhelmingly supported something or demanded it of him, he was honor-bound to obey.

But now that the whole picture was becoming clear to her, she couldn't see a way to turn back. She understood how deep the bonds of friendship truly were between the four boys in the tower, in a way she had never understood before. They weren't just pranksters who had happened to fall in together, an alliance of convenience to wreak more havoc on the school. For the first time it occurred to her how true James's words had been on their way to Hogwarts, how much they were brothers.

She knew what she had to say. "Remus, if you so much as pack one trunk, or try to Apparate away in the middle of the night, or try to sneak away on a broom, I swear I will find you and drag you back to Hogwarts even if it has to be kicking and screaming."

By the end, James was gaping at her in open astonishment, and even Sirius had a surprised expression on his face. It quickly turned into an approving grin, however.

"You're not going to run away from this," she said. "You're not going to leave, you're not going to ruin your life because of someone else's crime. What you are doesn't matter to me, it's _who_ you are—and I know you. I know you're a good person."

She stood up, anger making her blood run hot.

"The only proof we need," James said quietly, "is the real killer."

Peter quailed. "It's hardly that simple! If he's a real werewolf, and a—an active one, he won't hesitate to—"

Sirius raked his hair back with a hand as he stood. "No, he won't. But I personally won't hesitate to blast him with any curse or jinx I can think of, either. So I say we're even." He cracked his knuckles. "It'll just be a fair fight."

"Peter's right, though. It _is_ easier said than done." Lily pointed at Sirius. "And we don't need any reckless heroics. You could get killed." Even James had to relent to that, dipping his head a bit.

"We'll need to plan this out right," she said. "And we can't expect much help. We won't get many shots at this either."

"Once a moon," Sirius quipped.

"If we're in this, we're in this together," James said, turning to each of them in turn. "And we're in it all the way. If anyone's not willing to give this his all…" He remembered Lily was there. "…or her all, say it right now and you'll be out, no questions asked."

No one said anything.

"Alright, so I'm in," James said.

"I'm in," Lily echoed.

"Well, of course I'm in," Sirius added.

"I-I'm in," Peter stuttered.

Everyone turned to Remus. He was still leaning heavily against the crate, and his eyes were hooded as he returned their stare. "It's not—"

"Don't you dare say it's not worth it, Remus," James said. "You heard Lily. If you try to leave the school, she'll find you and drag you back." He bared his teeth in a vicious smile. "She'll get the left foot, and I'll get the right."

Sirius laughed. "And me and Peter can grab the arms."

"So are you in?"

Lupin sighed. "I don't know if I can be of much help…I mean, if we need to catch him during the full moon—"

"Let us handle that, but we need to know you're not going to try to do something stupid and noble by yourself."

Lupin got up and walked over to them. "Alright," he said, "I'm in." James reached over and clasped his arm firmly, his knuckles white against Remus's dark robes.

"Good thing you've had some practice keeping me at bay, eh?" Remus joked.

James pulled him into a quick hug. "That's the Moony I know," he said happily.

"Hey, everyone." Sirius turned and gestured at Lily. "Well, now that she knows Moony's secret," he said. "Well, you know what that means."

Lily looked uncertain. "What does that mean?"

"It means you're one of us now," he said. "A Marauder."

"A what?"

"Our little group here," Sirius explained. "Messrs. Moony—" He pointed at Remus. "Wormtail." A finger wagged at Peter. "Prongs." He indicated James. "And, of course, last and best, me. Padfoot. Presenting your humble mischief-making Marauders."

"Do I get to learn the secret behind your nicknames now?" she said, only half-kidding.

"Er, maybe we'll save that for tomorrow," James said sheepishly. "Only so many secrets you can learn in one night, eh?"

Lily clenched her jaw, but said, "Fair enough."

"Now, as for your nickname, I'm thinking…_Jade_, maybe, for the eyes. Or Maybe _Snippy_, for—" He left the rest to imagination.

"If you guys don't mind, I'd like to talk to Lily alone," James said.

"Uh oh," Sirius began, but before he could say anything more Remus started guiding him towards the door. Peter followed close behind them, and as they left Sirius turned back to give her a wink. James watched them leave, and gestured with his wand at the open door to swing it shut.

After it closed, he turned to face her. For a second Lily thought he was going to tell her something more, something he hadn't told the other…_Marauders_, she said to herself. She'd already started thinking of them that way; it was certainly a fitting title.

"Well, what?"

She wasn't sure what to expect. Maybe a revelation that he knew exactly who the other werewolf was. Maybe the story of how they had found out about Remus's condition. Maybe the location where they stowed him away once a month. What she certainly hadn't expected, but which happened anyways, was for him to wrap his arms around her and lift her off the ground.

"Hey!" she shouted, the surprise making her breathless. "Put me down!" When she started squirming, he let her back down but didn't let go. She could feel his hair meshing into hers, and then his breath, warm as it played over her ear.

"Thanks," he said softly. "You're the best." Before she could respond, though, he had already drawn away and rushed out. Alone in the tower, only the owls kept her company.

_Who?_ they seemed to be saying, or asking. _Who who who who who?_


	13. Baiting the Trap

Chapter Thirteen – Baiting the Trap

The mood in the castle was as tense as Lily had ever known it in the next week. Word had spread quickly and rapidly that a dead man had been found just outside the Haunted Forest, and a dozen rumors had sprung to life before Lily and James had a chance to tell their version of the story.

The two of them strongly insisted that they had no idea who had committed the act, an unconvincing denial that only gave people room to speculate. A gigantic spider had been let loose, and was capturing victims in webs ten feet wide. An insane wizard escaped from Azkaban had made his way down to the school to take vengeance on the children of the Aurors who had captured him. Lord Voldemort himself was lurking in the Dark Forest, and needed blood for some dark magic.

There was even a rumor that Sam Sawbridge had been the one to be killed. It lasted for two days, during which Gywn had been positively disconsolate, until he was found in the library by two third-year girls. They'd spooked upon seeing him and run off screaming, thinking he had chosen to haunt the school. It turned out he just had a particularly nasty essay for Transfiguration and had chosen to hole up with his books.

Indeed, Lily had never been more relieved to have difficult work to do. It allowed her to take her mind off things for a little bit, and every time she had to burn the midnight candles to get through a reading assignment or a project she was granted the brief illusion that nothing had changed, that they were still students at school, and that their worst fears were the exams approaching in January.

Her time was consumed by work, and when she wasn't busy with that she spent all her free hours trying to think of a scheme that would capture the rogue werewolf. Oftentimes she found her thinking interrupted by hordes of students or the odd person who wanted her to tell them exactly what had happened, or asked for more details.

Alice and Gwyn suspected there was more to the story than Lily was telling them, and were disappointed when she didn't give them anymore than the official recounting of events. After that, Gwyn had started paying particularly scrupulous attention to the rumors floating around the castle.

"So is it true what they're saying about Voldemort?"

"No, Gwyn."

"What about the people who say it's the ghost of the guy who nearly decapitated Nearly-Headless Nick, come to finish the job?"

"Definitely not."

"Or the one about a dragon-tamer gone mad when he accidentally stumbled upon a basilisk?"

"No, who told you that rubb—"

"What about the story about the spider?"

Lily had laughed at that. "Do you know how stupid we'd have to be not to realize a gigantic spider was living in the woods?"

She tried to assuage her friends' suspicions as best she could, but it was getting hard when she was spending so much time with the Marauders. Every time she was seen with James or Sirius, whispers and renewed speculation seemed to follow in their wake.

After a few days, Dumbledore confided in Lily and James that the man who had been killed was a traveler who had been lodged in the Hog's Head. He didn't mention Slughorn's examination, but she could already guess for herself what it had shown.

To most students, the knowledge that the victim had come from Hogsmeade, and was not at all related to Hogwarts, had a calming effect. It also cut short some of the more outlandish rumors.

New rules were instituted to make sure the students were safe. People were no longer allowed outside unless they traveled in groups, and excursions near the Dark Forest could occur only under the supervision of a teacher. Professors who weren't in class patrolled the grounds so that there was round-the-clock defense of the school.

The Care for Magical Creatures classes, which mostly took place outside or even in the woods, had been cancelled once again, and Professor Anhotep was only seen occasionally in the castle. It was said that he was in the woods searching for any trace of the killer with Reckay Bringfer. Though Dumbledore didn't choose to share the knowledge of his whereabouts with Lily or James, she guessed that rumor, at least, was credible.

Despite all the new measures being taken, more than a few students were withdrawn from the school. A rush of panicked parents had come the day after the attack, and even more during the following week. The greatest defections, Lily couldn't help noticing, came from Slytherin House. The seventh-year boys had been reduced to Snape (unfortunately he hadn't chosen to leave), Percy Baddock, and Hans Patterson. And Hans and Percy had only stayed because if they had left the Slytherin Quidditch team would have been gutted.

Clearly, many people still felt nervous even with the beefed-up security. The next dueling lesson was opened to everyone third-year or older, which meant that there were so many sessions the Great Hall was basically occupied during every spare hour. Homer Skively, now a fifth-year, had also started up a group that was already being referred to as the Ravenclaw Racket, which sold a great deal of enchanted rings, talismans, necklaces, and other sundry objects that they claimed provided protection for the wearer.

Lily had confiscated most of them and tried to shut them down, but this had only driven them underground. At least they weren't entirely useless, she discovered. Most of them had been charmed so that they gave the wearer a sense of security or confidence, even if there was no real reason to warrant it.

Sirius Black became her almost-constant companion during this time. Apparently he had taken it upon himself to initiate her fully into the group known as the Marauders, and to that end he had begun systematically showing her all their hard-won secrets.

Some of the things he revealed or told her did seem quite valuable, she had to admit. After the two of them had left a Charms class one Tuesday, he had pulled her aside and taken a blank piece of parchment out of his pocket.

"Say, Evans, do you remember those times when you wanted to talk to someone really badly, but you couldn't find them?"

She eyed him warily. "I suppose. It happens to everyone, doesn't it?"

He sniggered knowingly. "Yes, yes, unfortunately so. Mm, for instance, would you happen to know where Gwyn is right now?"

"Huh?" Lily wasn't sure she was following. "I guess she's done with her History of Magic class with Binns, so maybe on her way back to the common room? I don't think she has another class until after lunch."

Rather than answer her, Sirius tapped his wand to the piece of parchment and muttered, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

At first, Lily didn't notice anything different. But then a set of letters began drawing themselves in elaborate calligraphic style and she gasped. Sirius held it out towards her, and she unfolded it as the lines rapidly spread across the surface.

"What is this?" she wondered. It was incredibly detailed, even beautiful. After a second she began to recognize some of the layout.

"This is Hogwarts!" she said.

"Indeed it is. Watch now, the people are coming," he said. When her eyes again found the parchment, there were dots roving all over the castle's halls, each with a name written above them.

"See, there we are." He pointed with his finger. "Oh, and there's Gwyn…not moving in that corner behind the gargoyle, with Sam Sawbridge very close to her. Very close. My, my, their dots are almost overlapping…"

Lily colored, guessing what she had caught her friend in the middle of. It made her feel almost guilty, and she hastily folded up that portion of the map.

"Not so fast," Sirius said, taking the parchment back from her. "Mischief managed." The images vanished.

"So that's one of the tricks of the trade, huh?" She couldn't remember having seen anything like it anywhere.

"Indeed," Sirius said. Just then Peeves floated over them, holding a copy of _The Standard Book of Spells, Year Five._ A few seconds later a frantic-looking boy ran up and paused at the corner.

"Have you seen—?"

"That way," Sirius answered, idly, waving a hand in the general direction that the poltergeist had taken.

"Nice bit of magic, isn't it? We worked on this for quite awhile, it took us a long time. Of course we were younger then…anyways, just wanted to let you know. Have to get to an Ancient Runes class, I'll see you."

The next day he caught her outside the same class, where they were met by James.

"Do you have it?"

"Yeah," James said hurriedly. "Not here, though, let's go up to the seventh floor. Then we can also show her the—"

"The Room of Requirement? I know about that already."

"You do, do you?" James was evidently impressed. "That's not something I would have figured you ever needed to use…"

"I've never had to hide there from Filch, if that's what you mean," she said pointedly. Both James and Sirius wouldn't meet her gaze. "But it's nice to have a space where you can practice spells by yourself now and then. The common room's noisy."

"I actually need to run," Sirius said.

James waved him on. "I can show her, it'll be quick." They ascended up the steps to the seventh floor until they were standing in front of the painting of Barnabas the Barmy.

"Alright, so I guess I don't need to explain the Room of Requirement, that'll save some time." He put down his bag and drew out a shimmering, almost insubstantial cloth. It was so thin the light passed through it from the windows above them.

Glancing around to make sure no one else was there, he said, "Now, I'd give you three guesses, and you're sharp so I'm sure you'd probably get it, but I have a class too…so how about a little demonstration?"

He whirled the cloak over his shoulders and vanished. Or at least, everything except his head did.

"Ta-da," he said drily.

"Is that a—?" Lily reached out and brushed the air were James should have been. Surprisingly, he giggled just as she brushed something solid.

"Hey, that tickles." He swooped the cloak back off his shoulders and quickly stuffed it back into the bag.

"Sirius already showed you the Marauder's Map?" She nodded. "Well, this is special secret number two. The Room was going to be number three, but I guess you already knew about that."

"Exactly how much stuff did you come up with or find to help you screw around in this school?" Lily asked in disbelieving tones.

"There aren't many more, I'm afraid," he said. "I just hope what we have is enough." He started for the stairs, and Lily followed. "But that's good for one day, don't you think?"

They waited until the weekend before showing her the last secrets of the Marauders. They needed to wait, Sirius explained, because the last few required that they sneak out of the school undetected. She wondered how exactly they were going to go about this, but one day as James brushed past her in the hall he muttered, "Meet us by the bust of Garm the Goblin-Slayer. Ten o'clock, this Saturday."

She did as she was told, but when she arrived there was no one there. Garm had a rather stern set to his lips, not to mention the most dramatic widow's peak she had ever seen. Frustrated, she began tapping her heel. It didn't sound quite right, however, almost as if she wasn't standing on stone…

Suddenly she jerked her foot and the cloak half-slipped off. James was bared from the waist-up, while she could see Sirius's head and most of his left side. Cradled in his arm was a rather large rat.

"Remus and Peter aren't joining us?" she asked.

"Oh," Sirius said, smiling, "they'll be where we're going, don't worry."

James lifted one end of the cloak up and said, "Come on, get in here."

Her tone was skeptical. "That's going to be a pretty tight fit."

Sirius scoffed. "It's no time for modesty, Evans. Just cuddle in besides Prongs, come on, it's not the end of the world."

She weighed her wish to hit him against her desire to see whatever it was they wanted to show her, and got in underneath the cloak. It was surprisingly roomy, although they had to walk quite slowly to make sure their feet didn't peek out from the bottom.

Inside, she noticed that the rat in Sirius's hand was actually clutching the Marauder's Map in its front paws. "Smart rat." It seemed to give her a bit of an insolent glare when she said that, so she didn't mention it again.

Lily's heart started pounding as they passed Professor McGonagall on the stairs, but apparently the cloak worked well because she didn't notice anything. They got to the main entrance hall without a problem, and then exited through a small side entrance.

"I don't think they have anyone on the grounds at night if they post someone on the stairs," James whispered. "So we can probably make a run for it." Sirius glanced around nervously, and James shrugged the cloak off of them. "Coast is clear."

Together they started running off, to where Lily couldn't guess. She followed behind them, however, until they came within sight of the Whomping Willow. A damp scent was heavy in the air, and a light fog was rolling in.

"Um, James…Sirius…that's the Whomping Willow, you know." Even now its thickest branches were swaying very slowly, as if in warning, the thinner arms above whipping about in the breeze. "You know, the tree that can fight back."

But they either didn't hear her or ignored her, because they kept jogging until they were just outside of the tree's range. Its thick trunk shuddered as if twisted itself towards them.

"It knows we're here," Lily said. "Come on, we can't get any closer, what is it you wanted to show—"

Sirius patted the rat in his hand. A breeze rose up and ruffled his hair; Lily could feel the chill on her arms and shivered.

"Alright, Wormtail, time for you to do your bit." The rat scurried quickly out of Sirius's hand and ran towards the tree. Apparently it was small enough that it fell beneath the Willow's notice, and it vanished around the side.

"Ah, there we are," James said. It was obvious to Lily that the Whomping Willow seemed to have calmed considerably. It was standing straight and tall, almost rigid, as if it had somehow been placated…

"How'd you do that?"

"Not us—" Sirius said. "Wormtail." His head dipped in the direction of a thick knot of gnarled roots, and he and James set off. Lily followed close behind, not sure whether the thing would start flailing at them. She had seen someone lose control of a broom and almost fall into the Willow once; they had bailed out just in time, but the Cleansweep they were ridding had been devoured.

The tree offered them no trouble as they approached, however, and they found the dark pitted entrance hollowed out into its base without much difficulty. _So they've definitely done this before._

"Ladies first," James said, gesturing into the hole. Lily ducked in and, crouching, took a few steps down into a dark tunnel. She muttered a _Lumos_ spell, which improved the lighting somewhat, and observed their surroundings.

The tunnel was soil and thick black rock, roughly hewn and supported by either gigantic boulders or a girding of heavily matted roots. The smell of soil was almost overwhelming, a rich, earthy scent, and something dripping could be heard faintly off in the distance. When she brushed her hand along one of the walls, her fingers came back sticky with sap.

Sirius followed her in, and she wiped her hand on the front of his robes.

"Hey! These are my nicest set," he protested.

"Good," she said. "It'll make you wash them, then." He adopted a miffed expression as James came in after him, his wand already lit. Finally, the rat followed behind him. Something about him bothered her, something familiar…

"Alright, you can transform now, Peter."

_Peter?_ _Was he talking to the rat when he said_—Before she could draw any conclusions, however, the animal in front of her began expanding and contorting grotesquely, its tiny joints expanding and thickening, its limbs extending. Its head ballooned out, growing bigger and bigger, and all along its body the fur was receding.

"_Peter?_" she breathed, amazed when the transformation was complete. Peter was apparently not entirely himself, because he sniffled a bit like a rat and made a nervous chewing motion with his mouth. His two front teeth, she realized, were somewhat enlarged.

She suddenly had a flashback to Professor McGonagall in first-year, and her words… "_This is very difficult magic, I don't expect any of you to manage it this year, indeed, if ever. There are only a handful of registered Animagi in all of Britain…_"

"He's an Animagus? But…but how—does McGonagall—?"

James shook his head.

"They are too," Peter said, pointing at James and Sirius as he got up and brushed off his soiled pants. "We all are. Well, except for Remus, because he's a werewolf already and that's his…"

"How did you—" She couldn't fathom how they had hidden this away from everyone.

"You wouldn't believe how difficult it was," Sirius said.

James nodded. "It took us years to figure out, really. Finally got it in fifth-year."

"_Fifth-year_," Lily breathed. "That's ridiculous, it's supposed to be some of the hardest magic you can do!"

Sirius shrugged, and James said, "You wouldn't believe how much we wanted to tell someone. Even McGonagall."

"We figured it was the best bit of work we'd ever done at school, and she of all people would be willing to give us some credit for it…" Sirius sighed. "But we couldn't let anyone know."

She suddenly remembered other things McGonagall had told them. "You're not registered, are you? The Improper Use of Magic Office…"

"Would have us in Azkaban if they knew, most likely," Sirius finished for her.

"It was for Remus, don't you see?" Peter asked.

"For Remus? I don't understand—"

"In our animal forms we could be with him even after he had completed his transformation. Didn't want rat blood, you know." Sirius was already moving forward as he spoke.

"Sorry Peter, guess you just got called unappetizing," James joked.

"But why'd you have to take me out to the Whomping Willow to show me…?" Her voice faded as it all came together. It made so much sense. _"A secret place," Remus had said. "Where I'm locked up…"_

"This is where you send Remus every month? This is the secret place, isn't it. So the Willow's out there making sure he can't get out and hurt anyone, and while he's here you know where he is."

"You always were quick, Lily."

"This is unbelievable," she said. "When did you people come up with the time to do all this extra stuff? Don't you have work to do?"

Sirius shrugged. "We only do what we have to. And we split it up, you know." Ordinarily Lily would never have condoned cheating, but somehow it didn't seem right to condemn them in this instance.

"So if Peter's a rat," she said. "Then you're…" She looked searchingly at Sirius. "Padfoot, huh? What's that mean, a bear?"

"Dog, actually," Sirius said. His eyes flicked over to James. "Prongs there says I'm sometimes nicer as a dog, says I should stay that way." His laughter was short, almost like a bark.

"And you'd be…a deer or something?"

"An elk, actually. I'm not one of those little cute critters scurrying around in the woods that only live to let people take pictures of them."

She tried to process all this information. So much, all at once. Still, she had to ask. "And at the end of this tunnel is…"

"The S-Shrieking Shack," Peter said, mock-stuttering. "The most haunted building in all of Britain."

"Why would you choose a haunted—? Oh. It was never actually haunted, was it?"

"And now," James announced grandiosely, "you know all our secrets. Lily Evans, I officially declare you a Marauder." With his wand, he tapped her shoulder in jest.

"So are there any more surprises waiting for me?"

"Not that we know of," Sirius said. "Come on, let's get going, Remus is waiting for us."

They fell into a single-file while in the passageway; the way was only wide enough for one person at a time. Sirius took the lead, squinting ahead into the darkness, while James trailed behind Lily and Peter.

When they finally reached the trapdoor, Sirius swung it open and pulled himself up. His hand dropped down a second later and he helped Peter up. Together they pulled Lily into the room, and then James squeezed in after them.

The house showed every sign of a hurricane having been through it. The chairs and couches were torn to shreds, down from the cushions all over the place. Deep scratches furrowed the walls and the banisters of the staircase.

On one of the couches—the most intact one in the room—sat Remus Lupin, haggard-looking but rather stronger than since the night of the attack.

"How are you, Lily?" he asked politely. For all the world he acted as if it was perfectly normal to host guests in the most haunted building in all of Britain—not to mention, normal for said guests to appear out of the floorboards.

"Alright. Kind of stunned, I guess. I'm still trying to take it all in."

He spoke in a sympathetic tone. "It'll take some time, I suspect. It's a lot to hear all at once."

"Sit down, please." James gestured over at a more or less normal armchair. He and Peter grabbed another couch and pulled it over as Sirius sat down next to Lupin.

"So, we've been thinking," Sirius said. "Put our heads together, you know. Come up with a few ideas."

Remus cracked a smile. "We've even put all trouble-making out of mind for the moment. I know that you'll be happy to hear that."

James explained the plan to her. It was clear they'd put a lot of time into it, she was surprised they'd managed to come up with some of the necessary tools so quickly. They'd thought of quite a few contingencies, and everyone seemed to have a role to play—although she had no doubt James had given her one of the least dangerous roles. She nodded as he finished telling her, and then got ready for the argument she knew was soon to follow.

"So we're going to be bait. When we try to lure him out."

James seemed especially determined. "It has to be that way. There has to be something real, he won't come for no reason."

"And of course you're the one who has to be the bait."

He shrugged. "I'm as good as anyone else, I suppose, no reason I shouldn't."

"Somehow," she said drily, "I get the feeling you wouldn't be thrilled if I said I should do it."

He frowned. "No reason for you to."

"We'll see about that. Now, wait, where's Remus going to be?"

"Oh, right," Sirius said. "We forgot that part. Well, obviously he can't be here in the Shack. So what do you think. We need somewhere else to put him. We really _need_ somewhere else…"

"The Room of Requirement."

"Ten points to the girl in the black robes!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "How droll, Sirius." She turned back to James. "Here's an issue though. If you're out there in the woods and we're hiding beneath the invisibility cloak, he'll still be able to smell us. He'll be able to figure it out. Three different scents, one person visible? It'll smell like 'trap' from a mile away."

"We'll just have to take that chance."

She shook her head. "That's not good enough. We can't leave this to chance, we need to know for sure it'll work. We won't get another shot at making this work, if this fails we'll have to come up with something entirely new."

"Then we will," he insisted.

"James, listen to me. You've come up with a good idea. A great idea, really. But it uses up almost every trick you've got in the bag. We can't afford to miss this, and you know it."

"We have to risk it, there's no other way. It's not like I can change the way I smell, Lily."

And then it hit her. James wasn't going to like this one bit, she knew it the moment it dawned in her head. "Oh, you'd be surprised," she said.


	14. Devil's Snare

Chapter Fourteen – Devil's Snare

As she suspected, James hadn't liked her idea one bit. However, she had beaten him down by arguing that it was the only way they were going to convince the werewolf there was only one person in the Forest. Eventually he saw reason—or at least, was forced to open his eyes.

Before they put their plan in motion, there was one last thing to do in Hogsmeade. After the body had been found, the school had cancelled the next weekend visit, but eventually Dumbledore had insisted that the students should not be punished for something someone else had done. Besides, he'd reasoned, a bit of fresh air would do them good.

The teachers were beside themselves as the students lined up to go to the small village outside Hogwarts, the only entirely magical town in all of England. They gave off every appearance of preparing to march into battle, judging by the expressions on their frozen faces.

The group was rather smaller than usual—the teachers had argued and eventually convinced Dumbledore that only fifth-years and higher could go, since they had at least some rudimentary ability to defend themselves. And even those who were old enough were given the choice, so some were staying in the castle.

This was never an option for Lily. James and she had fought hard for allowing the visit, although they had not told Dumbledore their true reasons. They wanted to do some investigating at the Hog's Head and the Three Broomsticks to see if the victim had been seen with anyone in particular before he vanished, or if anything suspicious had turned up.

They brought an "emergency survival kit" with them, as James termed it. It held their wands, a bit of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder ("Super-rare, had to import it"), the Marauder's Map, and his Invisibility Cloak. Last but not least, he threw in some tarts wrapped in napkins—"Just in case we want snacks," he explained.

As Head Boy and Head Girl, the two of them led the procession towards the village. Alice, Alyssa, and Gwyn trailed behind at the end of the line. Alice was accompanied by Frank, and Gwyn had her own trail of retainers. At the moment, however, they seemed most interested in Lily. Gwyn pointed up at the head of the line and whispered something to the girls, and their eyes widened.

She had told Gwyn yesterday that she would be spending the day with James in Hogsmeade. When Gwyn had asked why, she had said, "Well, isn't it obvious?" She had to fight to keep her cheeks from turning too red, but clearly Gwyn picked up on where she was going.

Lily sighed inwardly. _Necessary sacrifices_, she thought. She was sure Gwyn had spread the news far and wide by now, but she couldn't worry about that now. They needed to have a reason to be together; it would seem most peculiar if Lily suddenly started hanging out with the Marauders when she had been trying to curb their more destructive or dangerous tendencies for the past two years as a Prefect.

Sirius, Remus, and Peter all had their parts to play as well. The three of them had to go off to Zonko's Joke Shop and act as if they were buying gadgets for their next prank (no doubt a difficult job for them). For all appearances, it had to seem like a regular weekend. No one could know they had another purpose in the village.

Unfortunately, all their effort seemed to have been wasted. They spent their first few hours at the Three Broomsticks, striking up conversations with the patrons and asking about the man who'd been found outside Hogwarts. No one inside seemed to know anything, however—or else they weren't talking. Lily threw up her hands after it hit lunchtime and they hadn't learned anything new.

"Not even his name," she growled, frustration filling her voice.

He shook his head. "Yeah, I'd hoped he might have spent some time in here. But if he did, no one's telling." Her stomach grumbling was the only response to his speculation.

"Come on, let's go get some lunch," he suggested. "Afterwards we can go to the Hog's Head. We know he stayed there so it's not like they can very well convince us that they never heard of him."

Lily liked the idea well enough, and her stomach was thrilled. James grabbed her hand on the way out of the shop and gave her a sneaky grin, as if to say, _For appearances' sake, of course._

Naturally, they had to run into Gwyn in the street. _She's probably been hiding outside Honeydukes waiting for us to get out,_ Lily thought darkly.

"Well if it isn't the two lovebirds!" she said cheerily.

"Hey, Gwyn, how's it going?" James was enjoying this entirely too much.

"Great. Can't complain a bit."

James chuckled. "Not with that train of boys following you, right?"

"Oh, them," Gwyn said, with a shooing motion of her hand. "I tell them to go away, but really you can't force someone who doesn't want to."

James laughed. "Yes, I know the feeling." Gwyn gave Lily a look fraught with significance, as if to say, _But you gave in at last, didn't you?_ At that moment Lily would have liked nothing more than to tell her the truth, but James was tugging her along.

"Anyways, thought we'd get some tea and sandwiches up at Madam Puddifoot's. See you around, Gwyn." So that's where they were going. She ought to have guessed. It was a place with quite a reputation as the haunt for happy couples in Hogsmeade. Lily believed in keeping up appearances, but after this she'd never hear the end of it.

Still, as Gwyn walked away, she heard her stomach rumbling again. It was Madam Puddifoot's or the fare at the Hog's Head, she knew. And after having eaten at the Hog's Head once in her fourth-year, she never wanted to have to go back to that place hungry ever again.

The door to Madam Puddifoot's opened to the sound of lyrical chimes, a tinkling that made Lily wince as every person in the shop turned to look at them. James guided her to a table in the back. The candles, she noticed, were rather high above their heads, and it was quite dim.

When Lily observed the crowd, Alice was in the opposite corner sitting with Frank Longbottom, sipping from a large mug of tea that they were holding up together, hands overlapping.

James leaned in close and whispered, "Aw, aren't they cute?"

"A bit close, Potter."

"It'd look suspicious if we were talking like we're sitting down to a formal dinner," he said. "Besides, it's expected of us—" He waved over a house-elf who had just come out of the kitchen.

"I'll have a roast beef sandwich and a cup of tea," he said. "And the lady…"

"What do you have in the way of soup?" she asked. It had been a bit brisk out there, truth be told.

"We's having a delightful stew today," the elf replied, eyes wide and eager. "Leeks and carrots and beans, and diced chickens in a cream broth, very tasty, very good."

Her mouth was watering by that point. "A bowl of that, please. With some bread. And another cup of tea."

The house-elf bowed, and James flicked a Galleon in his direction. The elf's hand twitched and the coin froze in mid-air and then floated slowly down into his outstretched fingers.

"No dropsies!" he said, in a high-pitched voice. After he left, Lily realized he had paid for her as well. She thought about saying something, but then shrugged. _Never say no to free food_, she thought jokingly.

James leaned back in. "So what did you think about the people at the Three Broomsticks?"

"What was there to think, they didn't know anything…"

"Mm. Did you really believe them when they said it?"

"Of course not. This isn't a big town, I'm sure they must have known whoever it was. Unless he only drank at the Hog's Head, and that's sure as hell a depressing thought."

She felt James shifting next to her, her hair tingling where it brushed against his shoulder. "Me too. I'm sure they met him, they've just all been told to shut up or something."

"Or they don't talk to kids about ongoing murder investigations," Lily offered.

"Yes, there's always that, too."

When their food arrived they ate in silence. James had a pensive expression on his face as he wolfed down his sandwich. He was so distracted that he reached down for his plate even after he'd finished the last bit, and looked surprised when he came up with empty air. Then he sat around and waited for her to finish, strumming his fingers on the table.

Lily thought the whole experience had been pleasantly tolerable thus far, but James managed to change that. Without warning, he leaned in and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. Her first instinct was to recoil in surprise, but she squashed that and seethed when she realized how it would ruin their cover. Her second instinct, even more disturbing than the first, was to lean over and kiss him back. She knew her face must have been flushed scarlet by that point.

"You look pretty when you blush," James said contemplatively.

"This is related to our job how?" she snapped. She'd managed to fight down that troubling second instinct, but the questions it raised still lingered, as did the warmth in her cheek.

"It doesn't, I guess," he said, getting out of the booth and offering her his hand. "Off to the Hog's Head, then."

She thought twice about taking his hand, then finally steeled herself. _Come on, it's like you don't even dare to touch him_, she scolded herself. She wasn't sure if the blazing heat in their grip was coming from her hand or his, but thankfully he didn't comment on it as they left the teashop. Alice waved to her on the way out, eyes shifting from Frank for an instant, but Lily wasn't sure she was paying attention by the time Lily waved back.

_Get a hold of yourself_, she said inwardly, with as much sternness as she could manage. She could feel her heartbeat like a fluttering in her throat. _Concentrate. We need to get answers._

Answers, however, were in short supply. The Hog's Head's patrons proved even more recalcitrant than the ones at the Three Broomsticks had been. After wandering around the tables—James was working the bar itself—she realized that it just wasn't her day. Instead of checking questions off her list, she was only finding that the number was multiplying rapidly. _And not all of them have to do with our little werewolf hunt_, she thought with a hint of anxiety.

She caught James glancing at her from time to time, but tried not to make eye contact with him. After asking everyone she could think of—and badgering a few of the ones who'd seemed more likely to cave in—she gave up and walked outside. He joined her not long after, making sure the door closed behind them before speaking.

"Hey, didn't you see me looking at you?" he asked.

"Not really," she lied. "I was busy trying to talk to people."

"I wanted you to come over. The barman gave me a few strange little cryptic hints, and some weird smiles too."

"Did he tell you who the guy was?"

"No, just kept saying his guest list was confidential, kept it in a log in his room locked in his desk with a magic key that he kept safe behind the bar. I think he was making fun of me, telling me all that when it just meant he wouldn't give me the name."

"Strange," she said.

"I don't like him," James said. "He looks shifty, doesn't he? A bit out of place, there's just something I can't figure out about him."

Lily shrugged. "That whole place sets me on edge, anyways."

James shrugged his sleeve down and looked at his watch. "Hey, we have to be getting back pretty soon."

He brushed his hand through his hair, a gesture Lily had hated only a few years ago. She hadn't noticed, but apparently she'd gotten used to it in the intervening time.

"Guess this day's been kind of a bust, hasn't it?" He swore underneath his breath.

"Yeah, I guess," Lily said, feeling more unsure than ever. Behind James's head she could see a faint hint of the moon now, nearly three-quarters full. _And growing larger every day_, she thought. She was in it deep, she knew, and getting deeper by the minute, more and more entangled. Things were growing vastly more complicated than she'd ever imagined, and she wished the world would just fall back into place simply, wished everything could be normal again. She wanted a way out.

_We have a way out_, she reminded herself. They just had to make sure it wasn't wasted.

-000-

Lily spent the next week wondering if the whole school was in on the conspiracy to get her and James together. She'd thought it was mainly just Gwyn, but had been shocked the next day when she'd come into Potions class. Slughorn was handing essays back and paused at her desk.

"Not your best work, Miss Evans, though it's still as good as I got on this assignment," he said with a sigh. "Must have been a tricky subject, I guess. And I know you're a bit love-struck now, can't hold that against a girl your age."

She had gaped at him in astonishment. "Come now, Miss Evans! You can't have thought it a secret, not when you're Head Boy and Girl. News travels, you know!" She would have given him a lifetime's supply of crystallized pineapple at that moment never to mention the subject again.

With the spectacular failure that Hogsmeade had proved to be, the Marauders had more or less decided that the full moon was going to be their best shot at catching "their furry friend." The days ticked by quickly, and she spent most of her time trying to forget what she would have to do. If Alice and Gwyn sensed anything odd from her, they likely attributed it to her being "love-struck" like everyone else.

If nothing else, the fact that everyone assumed that James and she were finally together had made it dramatically easier for them to put their heads together planning the whole endeavor down to the last detail. After going over the plan several times, revising again and again—this took place in lieu of the meetings where they should have been discussing their work as Head Boy and Girl—they finally concluded that there were no glaring flaws in the plan.

Of course, they were still relying on the freshness of a certain bottle of perfume, Sirius's instances that the plant would grow fast enough if fed the unusual diet he was putting it on, and Remus's assurances that a werewolf could tear through an obstacle or clamber out of a deep pit, but not both at the same time.

The full moon couldn't come soon enough for Lily. The school seemed to be falling apart around her ears. She could hardly find time enough for schoolwork, helping set everything up, and overseeing the Prefects. Aubrey Prount, who was already badly disposed to Lily and especially James after the Hufflepuff-Gryffindor Quidditch match, had apparently dueled with Bellatrix Black, a Slytherin fifth-year. It had caused quite an uproar in the student body, having Prefects fighting in the halls.

She was beginning to see their plan as the crux point, as if everything that was happening was somehow warped around their attempt to catch the killer, as if everything hinged on it. Success, and life would be back to normal. Failure, and the delicate balance that was barely holding the school together would fly apart. She didn't want to think about what would happen in that case.

The day before the full moon, she went with Remus to the Room of Requirement on the pretense of discussing House procedure with him. It would have been too suspicious to drag James, Sirius, and Peter along as well, so they went alone up to the seventh floor.

When they reached the painting of Barnaby, Remus had paced three times back and forth and a heavy oaken door had appeared along the wall where only bare stone had been a second before.

Lily followed Remus in, and was deluged with the rich mossy smell of a forest, the ashy taste of peat and soil drifting in the air. "It's a—" She took in the tall trees, the soft rill-sound of a stream, the rich lilac flowers. It was idyllic, like something from a pastoral.

"A place that I can be free in," Remus said. "For all intents and purposes, although I'll be safely locked away. A place to run." He smiled sadly. "When I'm in that form, I do love to run."

Lily nodded silently. As she turned to leave, Remus grabbed her arm. "Lily, I just wanted to say…thanks. You didn't have to do all this for me, but I'm glad you have."

She nodded again, tears forming in her eyes. She angrily blinked them back. She couldn't afford any weakness, not now, not that night.

"I'll never forget this," he promised.

She managed to get a joke out, not knowing what else to say. "Thank me when we come back dragging a werewolf to Dumbledore's office."

He laughed. "I'll be looking forward to it."

"Take care, Remus."

And the door had closed into a stone wall once more, and she hurried down the stairs and back to Gryffindor Tower. James, Sirius, and Peter were in the common room, pretending to sit by the fire and examine a trinket that Peter had picked up at Zonko's. For the first time, she was thankful for the somber mood of the castle; although it was only seven, the common room was entirely deserted save them.

"Is he in?" Sirius asked. His eyes had an especially haunted expression about them; he hadn't been sleeping for the past few days, instead spending most of the time in his Padfoot guise digging up a large pit on the blind side of the Weeping Willow. Lily let him know he was.

"And now?"

"Now," James said, "we wait for dark."

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Peter took to nervously pacing back and forth in front of the fire, chewing his nails so rapidly that Lily wondered how he had anything left at all on his fingers. Sirius appeared more composed outwardly, with a book in his lap. Yet Lily soon realized that the book was upside down, and that he seemed to be flipping the pages idly to random sections.

They apparently seemed so foreboding that anyone who came into the room quickly went up to their rooms. Only Gwyn seemed glad to see her, but when she noticed that she was sitting with James she only gave her a wink and went upstairs.

"Game of chess?" James called out in a bemused tone. Lily played him half-heartedly, but finished him after he forgot his queen could move diagonally.

"Another?" he asked. She stretched and lay down on a couch, and apparently neither Peter nor Sirius wanted to take up the challenge.

Finally, the clock struck nine. Sirius, who by this time was standing out by the window, turned to them and said, "If that's not a full moon, I don't know what is." His face grew solemn and then said, "Alright, let's get going."

Lily went up to the dorms, and after rifling in her trunk for a few seconds found the perfume her parents had sent her last Christmas. A nice enough gift, although Lily rarely used it. Alice and Gwyn raised their eyes at her, and she tried to give them a cheery smile. _Let them draw their own conclusions_.

When she brought it down to the common room, James and Sirius were standing as rigidly as if they were facing a charge of centaurs.

"It's just perfume," she said, exasperated. Sirius made a try at a cocky grin. However, he only managed to look somewhat ill.

"Alright, lay it on me," James said. Lily complied, giving him a very generous full-body spray. By the end of it he was coughing violently and blinking, and had to rub his glasses against his robes.

"Oh Good Lord, this stuff is potent," he said. "Did I really need this much?"

"I needed to cover your scent," she said, spraying Sirius just as heavily.

"Are you saying I smell, Evans?"

After a pause, Sirius broke the silence with quick, barking laughter. Peter joined in next, then Lily, and finally James got in on it as well. For a second, at least, the tension was broken.

Lily lightly wafted a mist of the perfume into the air and stepped through it several times.

"What, we get hosed down like dogs and you get off with that?" Sirius asked.

It took quite a long time to get them all downstairs and outside. They had chosen to go down in pairs to make sure they weren't heard or seen. _"Three people breathing might get us caught. Better to be as safe as possible," James had insisted. Sirius had volunteered to be the shuttle._

He and Peter left first while James and Lily waited nervously. Peter had perhaps the most crucial job to play that night, though he wouldn't be following them into the forest.

Sirius came back up and whispered, "Wormtail's in position. Come on, Evans." He hadn't managed to come up with a catchy nickname for her yet, at least not one he liked enough to stick her with. Only a few days ago, he'd asked her whether she would consider becoming an Animagus so they could at least narrow down the choices.

Together, they stalked down the stairs and past the guard—Professor Cassia this time, thankfully. She turned and looked searchingly at them when they reached the first landing, but went on with her patrol after they made no noise. When they got out of the castle Sirius pulled the cloak off of her and, without another word, disappeared back into the castle.

It all gave Lily a few moments to stand outside and try to center herself. It was a cool night, and the wind was up, making it positively chilly. She'd worn a thick sweater under her robes, however, so she felt decently warm. There was dew forming on the grass and she could taste the water in the air.

Finally, James and Sirius came down. James was once again carrying his "survival kit." Lily had made sure he only took the bare essentials, since she was going to have to be the one lugging it around most of the night if everything went according to plan. _"No tarts," she'd warned him._

"Alright," he said. "Everyone's feeling okay? This is last chance to turn back."

Lily snorted. "Last chance to turn back passed us a month back, Potter. No one's backing out now."

A fierce pride seized hold of his face. "And I wouldn't expect you to. I just thought I'd say it, you know."

"Because that's the kind of thing heroes are supposed to say before going off to slay the monster?"

"Exactly," he said. His lips twitched upwards, but then his face set determinedly.

"Alright, so just beyond the gates, right?"

"Yes, like everyone ought to know by now, you can't Apparate inside—"

"Hogwarts. Yes, we've gone over this," Sirius interrupted.

The three of them made for the gates, trying to be as fast as possible while still being somewhat furtive. A light was still shining through the haze up in Dumbledore's office. For a second she imagined the shadow of his figure watching over the grounds, and pulled Sirius and James behind a row of bushes. But when she looked up again there was nothing there, and they went on.

They were all sweating by the time they were out past the grounds.

"Wow, Black, never realized you were so out of shape," she joked.

"Humidity," he said. "Nervousness. No, anticipation. I'm just looking forward to this so much." He pointed at James. "That's fear sweat though, I'd know the smell anywhere."

"That's the perfume, you dolt," James retorted. He motioned as if sniffing his armpits. "Are guys really supposed to be attracted to women who smell like this?"

"If you use less of it, maybe."

"Yeah," Lily said. "Just because you like the taste of turkey doesn't mean you want to eat ten pounds of it at every meal, do you?"

James's lips twisted. "Good point."

"Less talk, more Apparating," Lily said, a second before stepping forward and…

When she felt her feet touch solid ground again, she was no longer standing on grass. Instead, beneath her feet was one of the rough dirt-beaten paths that circled Hogsmeade in irregular loops and led into the woods. A second later, James and Sirius blinked into place beside her.

"Boys," she said. "Always so slow."

"Hardly fair, you got a head start."

They were trying to act like they weren't afraid, Lily knew. As for herself, she could feel the coldness worming through her stomach, the ice that crept through her arms and made her hands tingle. As they approached the forest James and Sirius took out the Invisibility Cloak and draped it over themselves. From beneath it, James's hand reached out to give her the pack.

When she took it, he grabbed her wrist and squeezed gently. "Be careful," she heard, a whisper suddenly coming from nowhere, and vanishing just as quickly. The hand slipped back under the cloak.

The trees that lined the Dark Forest had the black trunks that gave it its name, and branches that twisted like cruel fingers reaching towards them. They were ill-omened trees, and she pulled out her wand as she fell under their shadows. By this time of year they had lost almost all their leaves, and the dead husks rattled and rustled around her shoes as she got deeper in past the grass.

"_Lumos_," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. The light was glaringly bright at the tip of her wand, but the night swallowed it up and spit blackness back out. She could see only ten feet in front of her, and tried to calm the thumping in her chest.

This was the iffiest part of their plan. _Well, besides the part after this, perhaps. Oh, and the part after that_. She laughed inwardly, but felt a cool twinge of doubt in her mind. Now that she was actually in the forest, with the thick trunks pressing in against her at all sides, everything seemed a good deal less certain than when they had just been talking about it in the libraries, or between classes, or after dark in the common room.

_This is no time to lose your nerve_, she berated herself. The leaves crackling beneath her feet sounded like fireworks, and she wondered how the people in Hogsmeade could sleep with the noise. _Be loud,_ she reminded herself.

"_Act like you're marching an army through the forest," Sirius had suggested. "Well, a one-woman army. But a loud one." _They needed the werewolf to find her, since she sincerely doubted that she was going to find him.

A low keening suddenly sounded through the fog. She stopped, standing on the root of a massive redwood. Above its thick arms seemed as spindly as filigree on a crown.

"Sounds like we've made contact," she muttered. He chanced a quick glance backwards, although she knew it was foolish. She just had to assume Sirius and James were behind her, since she couldn't see them.

She took off in the direction the sound had come from, reflecting on how strange it was that she was pursuing it. If anyone else had heard that call, they would surely have made a speedy exit and tried to get to Hogsmeade as soon as possible.

"He must be just up ahead." She turned around and put a finger to her lips. _Is he stupid?_ she thought furiously. _Wolves can hear as well as they can smell._ Apparently he got the idea, because he didn't try talking again.

Another cry echoed across the ghostly hills. With a sensation of horror, Lily realized that no werewolf could have produced that sound. It had almost sounded like..._Help!_

Seized with fear, she forced her feet to keep moving forward. Without quite realizing it, she broke into a half-jog and hoped Sirius and James would be able to keep up with her under the cloak. A flash of red sparks lit up the trees ahead of her, and she doubled her pace, forgetting James and Sirius entirely. Someone had gotten there before her, and she was guessing they hadn't been trying to find the werewolf.

When she reached the rise, the first thing that came into view was the beast itself. She'd only ever seen them in book diagrams before, and those few pictures had failed to do them justice. It was a huge thing, with powerfully muscled legs and long arms that ended in long-clawed paws. The fur that covered its body was black in places, gray in others, and lightest around the face, which was an ugly mixture of features. They were almost entirely lupine, but for the faintest trace of resemblance to something that had once been human.

As soon as she stumbled into the clearing, the thing swiveled its head. Its ears had perked up, and Lily hoped it didn't notice the fact that there was a rustle of leaves coming from behind her even though she had stopped walking forward. Apparently it didn't seem to think much of it, because it snarled and bounded towards her, jaws open and slavering, teeth glinting whitely in the moonlight. For some absurd reason she was reminded of icicles.

She stood her ground, trying to appear less afraid than she felt. It was making up ground so rapidly that she hardly had time to realize that no one else was in sight. Where was the werewolf's other victim? Before she had much chance to ponder it, however, the thing was soaring up at her, jaws snapping once in mid-air…

She lunged forward, a move so sudden and unexpected that it failed to adjust as she slammed into its belly. She pushed up as hard as she could, flipping the thing over as she fell heavily to the ground, its jaws tearing off the swirling edge of her robe. It landed further up the rise than she was, tossing the scrap of fabric aside, a deadly promise in its eyes.

_The thing's going to kill me_, the fear seizing her. Just then, a black blur flashed across the hill and slammed into the werewolf head-on. Its shape was indistinct and constantly shifting, as if a piece of the night had broken off and come careening across her field of vision. She pulled herself off the ground.

"_Stupefy_!" she screamed, a lance of hot scarlet shooting away from her wand. The thing was too quick, as they'd expected. Still, she had to make a good show of it, if they were going to convince it to follow her. _"You need to make it angry," Lupin had said. "When a werewolf feels true rage, it's like a red cloud over their vision, like a blindness that allows them only to see the thing that makes them angry."_ She just hoped it wasn't angry enough to actually catch her.

As soon as it took its eyes off her, Sirius was back at it, tearing and snarling. He was much larger than Lily had expected. When she thought _dog_ the image that came to mind was of something that could sit comfortably in its owner's lap. This had more large bear to it than lovable companion.

Still, she realized with some trepidation, the thing it was fighting was half again as long from snout to tail, and broader besides. Sirius was thrown aside bodily when he tried to jump on its back and bite its throat, and he whimpered as he lay on the ground. Despite the dire circumstances, Lily couldn't help thinking that she had never heard him make such a helpless, pitiable noise in his human form.

"Uh oh," she murmured as the beast turned towards her, attention no longer focused on Sirius. _"Timing is everything here," she could hear James's voice saying. "My timing. Don't worry, I won't miss you. You just have to jump as high as you can…"_

She tried not to tremble, waiting, waiting, straining to hear. And just then a shift, in her peripheral vision…James throwing off the cloak and shoving it into her hands as his face twisted as if in pain or ecstasy. It happened so quickly she didn't even have time to think, she just jumped as high as she could and saw his shadow passing underneath her, growing taller and wider by the second.

She landed lightly on his back, which by now was covered by coarse bristly fur and was broad enough that she could comfortably sit it. She started when she looked down and saw the body of an elk that seemed to have had a chunk taken out of it, but then realized with relief that it was the Invisibility Cloak she was clutching in her hands.

The werewolf attacked recklessly, and the elk—somehow she had a tough time thinking of it as James—slashed at it with its tines. Her dad would have been proud to shoot an elk like this, with its wide rack of antlers. An odd thought to have, but it was an odd moment, she supposed.

And then they were off, pounding through the woods, and Lily was glad James had thought to throw the cloak to her before transforming. She had set it across his back and shoved her feet into its folds; when it stretched tight, it allowed her to sit slightly off the elk's back. If she hadn't had her improvised saddle the ride would have been hell.

The werewolf was close behind though, and she could tell that the elk—_James_, she reminded herself—was tired. He was frothing at the mouth, and his eyes were wide with panic and strained with exhaustion.

How close were they to Hogwarts? She could not have said. _"Another thing we have to deal with," her own voice rang in her mind, "is the fact that we won't have the luxury of knowing where or when the werewolf shows itself. You have to know you can run it all the way back, even if it's from Hogsmeade…even if it's farther." James had closed his hands into fists and nodded, swearing he could make it._

Sometimes, when she turned to the side Lily thought she caught a glimpse of a black shadow hounding them. She dearly hoped it was there, and she wasn't simply imagining it. If Sirius wasn't following them as planned, it meant he'd been more badly hurt than she'd thought. As if he could sense her thoughts and wanted to reassure her, the shadow drew closer. It was running so fast it was hardly more than a blur, but she could see the tongue lolling out of its mouth and the shiny eyes.

_"Follow us close," James was saying to Sirius. "I don't want you trying to bring him down yourself, understand? Follow us close, but make sure we don't lose him either."_ There turned out to be no worries there, Lily reflected, because the wolf was right on their tail. It was fast, faster than they had thought. _"We've all ran with Lupin," James had said. "Well, not Peter, but that's obvious. Trust me, if I had to, I could dust him easily."_ They'd assumed this one wouldn't be much faster. They'd also expected he wouldn't be much bigger, either. Lupin in human form was not a small person, so it had stood to reason this other werewolf might actually be even smaller.

_We shouldn't have been counting on that_, Lily thought grimly. _We've made a lot of mistakes already, we should just be glad we're alive._

The werewolf was close enough that she could see its eyes when she pointed her wand back at it, a glaring hot redness. Its tongue trailed behind its open jaws like a chunk of pink meat. Seeing it in better light, she realized its teeth were filthy, yellowed or even brown with rot. They were still sharp, however, more than sharp enough to kill.

She fired off a few curses, but it seemed to have incredible reflexes, gracefully bounding out of the way as each one flashed by it, striking the ground or the foliage inches away from its body—where its body, in fact, had been only seconds before.

It was gaining on them. _Too fast, _she thought. _"We need a good ten meters between us and the thing when we break the treeline," Sirius had said. "At least," Remus added. "You'd be better off with twenty."_ Lily wasn't even sure they had five at the moment, and there was no end in sight.

She tried to think of something she could do. _We need more time, just a second, even, come on, come on. We need it to stop, or lose track for a second, or…_Suddenly she knew.

"_Lumos Maxima_!" she cried, regretting the fact that she hadn't warned either Sirius or James, hoping they could still understand her words even in their animal forms. The glow that blossomed from the end of her wand became searingly bright, a glare that forced her to turn away for a second. Squinting, she met the werewolf's eyes, shining back at her like a full moon doubly reflected on a rippling lake.

It continued on, and for a second Lily thought she'd failed. _It's going to get us_, the notion entering her thoughts with an eerie sense of calm. _We tried, Remus._

But then a sharp sound turned her head, and she realized its front legs collapsing, its body rising violently in an uncontrolled arc and slamming sideways into the ground. It had run straight into the bush that James had just hurdled; it hadn't been able to see in front of itself.

She allowed herself a brief smile. For the first time since she'd seen the werewolf, she believed they were going to make it work. James was moving so fast by now that they were almost out of sight by the time it managed to struggle to its feet. She worried that they would lose it, but then remembered. _Scent,_ she thought triumphantly. _It can track us by scent._

Though they turned suddenly and lost sight of it behind the web of branches, she could hear its heaving breath and its feet pounding against the hard-packed earth. Making up distance.

Sirius was ahead of them now, and to her relief she saw the treeline as well. Her heart was pounding, and it felt as if her head was about to split at each temple, but inside she felt exultant.

_We made it, we made it. "When we break into the field," Lily heard herself, "we ought to be right on top of the Willow. Peter, stand on that knob and stand on it until you see us. The second we're under its cover, jump off. Even if we're in range of the branches, jump off so it starts attacking. It might hit us, but we need to make sure the thing can't get through."_ Lily swung her head around wildly. _Where was that damn tree?_

Then she found it in the distance, despair gripping her. _Why is it that far away, why?_ They must have gotten turned around slightly while in the woods, they'd come out across the grounds from where they'd meant to exit. And behind her she could see the werewolf again, even as she pointed forward and James resumed his pained gallop.

_"Sirius, no matter what, run ahead. We need to make sure he doesn't suspect anything," James had said. "You can vault the pit?" Sirius looked stunned. "Of course I can, how could you doubt me?"_

And Sirius was good to his word. Ahead of them, she spotted the midnight-black body arcing over the covered pit that he had spent the last week digging. _Made sure he could get over it, I'm sure._

She turned around and tried the same trick again, but this time the werewolf shut its eyes as she shouted the incantation. It was intelligent, the damned thing, it knew what she was doing. _"I have a certain cunning," Remus had said. "When I'm in that form, I recognize speech, and can think, but my instincts are so strong they overwhelm thought. That's the key weakness, that's what we can exploit."_

They had been wrong assuming it would be exactly like Remus, though, wrong about its size and its strength and its speed. She just hoped, prayed, that they hadn't been wrong about how it thought as well.

Lily shot off another _Stupefy_ spell, knowing it would dodge. This time, however, instead of darting to the side it leapt forward, paws reaching out, a glint in the light…she barely had time to register it before its heavy mass slammed into James's body and his legs collapsed.

_No, James, no_, she thought as she tumbled violently off his back and crashed to the ground. She cried out as pain arced up the entire right side of her body. She struggled up, gasping, unable to breathe. It felt as if her chest had caved in, and it was all she could do to stumble forward. Her vision was clouding…

Hot breath warmed her face, and a foul odor assailed her nose just before a pair of jaws closed around her arm. _Oh God, it bit me_, she thought. _No,_ a voice in her head said. There was a tenderness in the way they held her, and they were dragging her away from the forest. _To the Willow_. Her face was hot, flushed, feverish. _Sirius_, something said. _He's under the tree_, she answered, not understanding what was dragging her away.

And then she was there, and the air was cool and a rat's nervous eyes were hovering over her face. It chattered at her and she remembered. _"When I see you, I hold the tree until you're under it," Peter had said. "I wait for you to climb into the tunnel, _unless _the werewolf is too close_._" The tunnel, get in_.

She crawled. There was a fire in her lungs like she had never felt before, and she didn't want to think about the pain in her shoulder. She heard a _thump_ outside, and then the rat was scurrying at her side. _No, Peter get back, you have to wait until James and Sirius are…_But even as she poked her head out of the mouth of the tunnel, clutching the side of a twisted root with her badly scraped hands, Sirius came into view. He was stumbling and moving slowly, with James leaning on his shoulder. Something behind her illuminated the whole scene, and she gasped.

Sirius had scratches on his face, and was grimacing, but he was still standing and walking. _James_, she cried inwardly_, Good God._ His chest was bared to the cool night air where his shirt had been torn away, and his skin glistened half with sweat, half with blood. Long gashes crossed across his chest, open wounds that marked where the claws had struck him. But when she examined the scratches on his face, it occurred to her that he was still conscious. She wasn't sure whether to be grateful or to pity him.

Behind them, the roiling mass of shadows and thick green vines was flailing madly. _"Devil's Snare," Sirius had said, half-proud and half-sad. "I've been growing this for months hoping to get a way to trap Mrs. Norris or Filch in there. Or Snape, I'd have liked that best of all…"_ He'd finally potted his little plant in the pit he'd dug instead, where it would do no mischief—but perhaps, they had hoped, something far nobler.

Sirius tried to let James down gently into the hole, but when he let go James wasn't able to support himself and collapsed on the rough-hewn steps.

"Flip him over!" she ordered, hearing the panic in her voice and not caring. "We need to heal some of the deep cuts first…" James's eyes were lit from the inside as if from fire; his face was paler than she'd ever seen it.

"Relax, James, relax." She cradled his head in her lap as he mumbled something, but she shushed him. Peter and Sirius were already running their wands over the cuts, healing as best they could, and Lily soon joined in to help them. After a few seconds she felt a surge of relief. He would be alright. _He's going to be okay, _she said to herself, repeating it again and again like a mantra.

Deep as the cuts were, they were closing with ordinary healing spells. The scars were puckering and then fading away into normal—albeit abnormally pink—skin. _"The book says we can't take cuts," Sirius had said. "They won't heal. That's bullocks, though. At least for us, when we're transformed. Remus has cut me loads of times, they heal up just fine. It has something to do with us being animals, not human, I think. So, optimist's outlook: we don't really have to get worried about getting torn up."_ Lily could have sobbed with joy. At the time, she'd only thought that Sirius was being rather morbid.

James's hand was reaching up, his fingers waving weakly in the air. He was muttering something, but she couldn't hear it. Still running her wand over the cuts, she grabbed his hand with her left hand and pulled it towards her chest. Somehow all the pain she felt seemed to have vanished.

"Don't try to talk," she whispered.

The werewolf's anguished howl burst the bubble that seemed to have drawn over them. Sirius's head jerked up, and he waved away Peter when he tried to finish healing the cuts on his face. Crawling up the steps, he surveyed the scene and cursed.

"It's breaking through the vines," he said, voice filled with fury and perhaps a bit of admiration. "The thing's as strong as an ox."

Lily shook her head. They had to rely on the Devil's Snare now. They couldn't hold the thing down together, they knew that. Even _Stupefy _spells wouldn't work. If hit with too many, a werewolf could go berserk.

"_No_," James muttered. She jerked her head down towards his. He was trying to rise.

"James, get down, there's nothing we can do—"

"_No_," he said again, stronger this time. He drew his wand out of the ruin of his cloak and began crawling up into the air. Sirius's attention was so rapt on the scene in front of him that he didn't realize James was clambering up until he was right alongside him.

"Woah," he said. "Prongs, you've lost a fair bit of blood. You need to lie down."

Lily winced as she tried to get up. It felt as if something had split her side in half—and whatever it was had jammed inside her. Cursing, she reached for James's arm.

"This is our best chance. We _need_ this."

"James," she pleaded. "Remember the plan. We know we can't hold him down, you know how resistant werewolves are to our magic—"

He was already outside, and the tree was beginning to sway dangerously above them.

"Wormtail…" Sirius said out of the corner of his mouth, but by this time Peter was already scrambling forward, fully transformed. He perched on the stump, and the tree shivered once and stopped.

James stumbled forward, deathly pale in the halo drawn around him by his wand. He pointed it forward and, flicking it downward, he began firing jinxes at the pit. The werewolf's head and most of its upper body were now entirely out of the thick vines, its arms swinging wildly at its sides hacking away more of the plant's clinging arms.

"James, it won't work," Sirius said, voice exhausted. Lily could see it clear enough. Most of the jinxes that hit the thing only seemed to renew its vigor, as it redoubled its frantic energy in its attempt to escape. "James—"

"No!" he roared, his voice booming out into the vast darkness and returning no echo. "This is our only chance! _Incarcerous! Incarcerous!_" But it burst the enchanted ropes even more easily than the tangled vines.

_Too strong_, Lily thought. _We made too many assumptions, we were stupid. It's too strong…_

One leg finally flashed out of the pit, heaving out and clawing against the ground. As it found purchase, the corded muscles heaved and bulged, rock-hard. It was going to uproot the entire plant.

She hated what she was about to do, wondered whether Sirius would attack her afterwards, wondered whether James could ever forgive her. She didn't have time to think about it, though. They were simply out of time.

"I'm sorry, James," she called out. He must have picked up on something in her voice, because he half-turned back to them. She shot the _Stupefy_ spell just as he came all the way about face, and the light burst in his glasses an instant before it struck him full on in the chest.


	15. Dueling Manners

Chapter Fifteen – Dueling Manners

Lily dropped her wand to her side, feeling absolutely exhausted. To her relief, Sirius had actually seen the necessity of what she had done and helped her drag James's unconscious body back under the cover of the Whomping Willow. They hid in the tunnel, trying to judge what was happening outside by the sounds.

As soon as the Willow stopped swishing ominously, they ran up to the castle, Sirius levitating James's body ahead of him. The pain in Lily's chest had receded to a dull, constant thudding, and it didn't hurt too much if she didn't turn suddenly. When they started jogging, however, she felt as if someone was jabbing an uncomfortably large needle into her ribs.

All the sound drew Hagrid out as well, and when he came upon them he gave a low groan. "What happened ter you folks?" he asked in an angry tone. "You know yer not supposed to be out of the castle…"

Sirius opened his mouth, but Hagrid waved him off. "Ne'er mind, now, let's get him up to the 'firmary."

They hadn't exactly had time to coordinate their stories on the way in, but thankfully Sirius took the lead with Madam Pomfrey. They had been outside tending to the Willow, he explained, and the werewolf had come upon them and attacked them. When she asked what in Merlin's name they were doing at the Willow, Sirius had rolled the dice and told her that Dumbledore had asked them to trim a few of its branches.

She hadn't exactly believed them, but seeing they were all hurt she let them lie down and started healing the worst wounds first. Lily's ribs were definitely cracked, but nothing was broken. The rest was just bruising, but Madam Pomfrey warned her that she probably would feel stiff as a board for the next few days.

Thankfully Dumbledore seemed to have backed up their alibi, because no one came by and asked any more questions. When she woke up the next day, Sirius was already gone. Peter hadn't had to spend the night at all, he'd just had a few scrapes on his hands.

James was not so lucky. They had healed most of his cuts hastily while they were outside, but Madam Pomfrey tutted when she saw his chest and insisted she'd have to do some more complicated spells to make sure everything was actually fine.

"If a chair leg breaks, you don't just slop glue at the joint and throw them together willy-nilly," she explained. Combined with the effects of the _Stupefy_ spell, she judged that he would have to stay a few more days in the hospital wing, although Lily was free to leave. She took the survival kit with her, not wanting Madam Pomfrey to look inside at an idle moment and find some of the Marauders' questionably permitted items.

When she got back to the Gryffindor common room, questions flooded over her. She noticed Sirius beating a hasty retreat up to the dorm and gathered that they'd been interrogating him for the better part of the morning._ Thanks for the back-up_, she thought bitterly.

"Sorry," he said as he reappeared. "But I really _need_ to get some alone time right now." _Oh, right. I'd almost forgotten about that._ Sirius was going to retrieve Remus, then, and explain what had happened.

While he was gone, she started repeating the version of events he'd told to Pomfrey as closely as possible, and tried to be vague where her memory failed her. Alice happened to come out of the dorm while she was half-way through the story, and loudly shooed everyone away.

"Merlin's beard, are you alright? We heard what happened—let's go upstairs, I'm sure you'd probably like to lie down or something."

She had been lying down for the better part of the day, but decided to take the chance to get away from the curious eyes. Alice helped her up the steps, but she still winced every time she had to shift her body.

"Is it true?" she whispered. "You guys were attacked by a _werewolf_?"

Lily felt like she'd just been stampeded by a herd of thestrals. "Mm-hm. It's what's killed that guy from Hogsmeade. I don't know if it's the same thing that's been scaring the owls, but…"

She left the rest to Alice's imagination. "I guess it wasn't a Shrike then," she said. "I was so sure of it, too." She pushed the door open for Lily and led her to her bed, drawing aside the curtain and letting her down. Then she noticed the pack on Lily's shoulder.

"What's that?"

Lily shook her head. "Nothing important, just James's. I'll have to give it back when he gets out."

Alice's eyes shone with concern. "Is he going to be alright?" She was holding Lily's hand, and with a start Lily remembered that Alice thought she and James were going out. _How's it going to look when he won't even talk to me after he gets out?_ She couldn't worry about that now, though. She'd rather have him up and about and furious with her than seriously injured.

"I think so," she allowed. "Madam Pomfrey kind of implied we hadn't done an expert job with healing."

Alice was rearranging some of her books, picking out a few. "I'll let everyone know they shouldn't bother you," she said, drawing the curtains. "Get some sleep."

As the door closed behind her, Lily flipped the pack upside down and started pulling the contents out. She couldn't risk someone coming in and rifling through it, so when she was sure no one was outside she began turning out her trunk so she could hide the contents of the bag.

"Oh, right, stupid!" she whispered to herself. She pulled out the Marauder's Map and activated it. There her dot was, and in the common room Alice was shooing everyone away from the stair leading up to the girl's dorm. She was joined by Gwyn a second later, and the two of them hovered around. Apparently they had taken it upon themselves to see Lily got a good rest, and she felt a sudden stab of guilt at not trusting them with everything that was going on.

_It wouldn't be doing them a favor, though_, she reasoned. _I'd only be drawing them in, they'd be forced to help if I told them._

The Invisibility Cloak was the easiest to hide, since it was just fabric. She stuffed it into the corner and covered it with a few sets of robes. The small packets of Instant Darkness Powder were a deal more difficult—they were forbidden, and she didn't particularly feel like being caught with them.

She sighed. It's not like they belonged to her, though, otherwise she'd just chuck them in the toilet. Finally she found a small cosmetics case and wedged them in. _Hopefully they still make black clouds_, she thought. An involuntary giggle escaped her lips as she imagined James throwing one at the ground, a plume of pale pink smoke shooting out.

The map would be easiest of all. Anyone who examined it would only find a spare bit of parchment. As she was about to shove it in her desk, however, she was suddenly seized by the urge to examine it more closely.

It was a truly remarkable piece of magic, and she was indulging an idle curiosity about how they managed to identify everyone in the castle. Magical tracking spells were generally forbidden by Ministry orders, and in any case she doubted Sirius, James, Remus, or Peter could have managed to link the map to every student and professor on the grounds. Besides, they'd have to do a whole new class each year. And that didn't explain how they got guests as well…

Suddenly, Lily sat up. She had been watching the dungeons, where a few students were creeping around, probably junior pranksters who aspired to be like James and Sirius one day. She didn't recognize the names and had been wondering whether it would be worth it to note them down.

Her attention was now focused on one dot pacing back and forth outside of a secret passage. The dot read 'Michael Avus,' and she recognized the name of the dueling instructor the Ministry had sent to the school. _What is he doing here?_ The next lesson, so far as she knew, wasn't scheduled for another two weeks.

Before she had much chance to ponder that mystery, the door began rattling. "…Stuck…" someone on the other side muttered, while Lily hastily tapped the paper and said, "Mischief managed."

Alice came in behind Gwyn, who had an anxious expression on her face. "I just wanted to see how you were—oh no, you're not doing work already? You need rest!" Gwyn snatched the parchment out of her hand and stuffed it into the top drawer of her desk.

"I could have guessed," she said, softening the words with a smile. "Nothing can stop you, eh?"

She felt too tired to protest, but could hardly beg off and go to sleep now that they had caught her awake and apparently getting ready to pound out another essay. Besides, it wasn't that kind of tiredness.

Lily wasn't sure what made her choose that moment to confide in them. Maybe it was the look in their eyes, the look that told her they would do whatever they could to help.

Bracing herself, she told them she had stunned James. "He was trying to fight the werewolf," she said, trying to avoid outright lying with her friends. "He was trying to protect us, we'd all been hurt pretty badly. The Willow was holding it back, but he wouldn't get under, I think he wanted to catch it because of—because it had committed those murders. I had to get him to calm down, I just couldn't think of anything else…"

Gwyn seemed horrified, but her first reaction was to say, "That must have been terrible for you." She patted Lily's arm sympathetically. "But you did the right thing, you probably saved his life."

Her next words came out of nowhere. "I'm just scared he'll hate me." The depth of the emotion suddenly struck her; she wasn't just scared, she was terrified. It was a constant, almost hammering sensation rising in her chest. She'd gotten used to this new, slightly humbler James over the past few months; somehow she didn't think she could bear it if they fell back into their old hostility.

Alice sat down on the bed next to her. "He won't," she promised. "He might be angry at first…I mean, how would you feel getting stunned by your girlfriend?" _Oh yeah, they think…_Lily really had to start remembering that.

"But he'll come around," Alice added hurriedly. "He'll forgive you. I mean, this is James, I think he'd forgive you for anything."

Gwyn jumped in. "More than forgive you, he ought to be thanking you through his teeth. Well, he might never go that far. But still."

She was drawing the shades down, until the room was shrouded in dull orange light. "It's like I told you, the reason you work well together is because he's too bloody careless. You're the one who pulls him back. He knows that's how you work."

Their assurances gave her some comfort, though she still wasn't looking forward to the moment when she would have to face him. _I have to give his stuff back, though. Or else I'll be on the hook for stunning him _and_ nicking his stuff._

She checked the Marauder's Map now and then, whenever she was sure no one could see what she was doing. Whenever she paused to give the map a glance, though, James was still in the hospital wing. One time she found the name 'Remus Lupin' written in intricate scrollwork by James's bed in the infirmary, and wondered what he was telling his friend. _"Lily stunned me, I was trying to bring him down but she shot me from behind."_

A twinge of guilt came over her. She hadn't heard anything from Dumbledore since she'd been released, but she knew that Remus was walking on thin ice. If anything, they had made it worse. Now students had been attacked by a werewolf, and the governors were not going to be overly cautious about which one they accused.

On her way back from a Potions lesson that Friday, she pulled out the Marauder's Map—she had taken to carrying it with her wherever she went—and took a quick peek. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw James's name affixed on a dot in the Gryffindor common room, again with Remus.

She wasn't sure she could face the two of them at once, but she steeled herself and forced her feet to take one step after another, following the familiar path that she'd walked a thousand times in her time at Hogwarts.

When she walked in, she expected James to turn on her and start yelling. Some small part of her mind thought it would have been well-deserved. But he and Remus didn't even notice her—apparently they were having an argument of their own.

"Remus, how can you want me to—? At a time like this…it's just a game."

"It is," Remus said, "but it would mean the world to me. I'm gone already, you can't change that."

"We _can_ though, we'll get another shot at it in a month—"

Remus shook his head. "I won't be here in a month. I'd like to see you fly one last time—" His eyes flickered over to Lily, filled with concern. "Lily, how are you? I haven't had a chance to see if you were alright after—"

Lily's chest seized up with relief. At least Lupin didn't seem to have blamed her. "I'm alright," she answered. "Are you…what did you mean, you won't be here in a month?"

"The governors," Remus said simply. It was all the explanation that was needed.

"I can't believe they're doing this!" James said angrily, and Lily couldn't help noticing he didn't address this at her.

"It is their school. They already took a risk letting me in."

"A risk you've done nothing but justify! You're a Prefect, a good student, you're not the one savaging people in the Dark Forest—"

"I've lived with this long enough to know that one is always guilty of the crimes of his brothers," Remus said, bitterness seeping into his tone.

"In any case," he continued, "Dumbledore has arranged it. To everyone else, it'll just be my mother withdrawing me from the school because she's afraid. I'll be one of many, now. So they've shown me a certain kindness, my secret will be safe."

Remus tipped his head at Lily. "If you'll excuse me, I have to start packing up my stuff. Think about what I said, James."

And then they were alone. Lily shuffled her feet, unsure of what to say. Still, she had to be the first one to say something, didn't she?

"Listen, James—"

He cut her off. "You don't have to say anything," he said. She dreaded his next words, but his face softened into an unsteady smile. "You did the right thing."

She was grateful for their reassurances, and felt a tremendous tension draining out of her shoulders. _He doesn't…_

"Somehow it doesn't feel like it, though," she said.

He shrugged. When she looked up he was grinning fully. "It's only because you like me so much, Evans."

"What?"

"Don't deny it," he said, laughter sparkling in his eyes.

"Maybe I just felt bad because I blasted you when your back was turned."

His shoulders raised in mock-surrender. "Whatever you say. But really, where were your dueling manners?"

"My manners? That wasn't a time for manners, you were being mutton-headed and I had to get you back to safety!" The mock-outrage in her tone drew laughter out of both of them. Somehow this wasn't how she had seen her apology playing out.

"Come on, you know you have to bow to your opponent before a duel."

"That wasn't a duel," she said. "It was a…a rescue mission."

"Merlin's beard, if that's your way of saving people, I shudder to think of how dirty you must fight." She was glad he was taking it all so well, Alice's words coming back to her. _"He'd forgive you for anything." Is that all it is, _Lily wondered. _Would he be angry if someone else had done it?_ For now, though, she dismissed those concerns.

"It's rich, you calling me dirty. I recall a certain Chaser who once launched a Quaffle…"


	16. Lupin's Last Match

Chapter Sixteen – Lupin's Last Match

On Remus's last day at Hogwarts, the sky was hazy and thick with clouds colored like bruises. He would be leaving that night on a train out of Hogsmeade, but seemed to have reconciled himself with his fate.

Indeed, his friends were taking it a bit harder than he was. Sirius had been positively morose for the past week, a sight so alarming that people had taken to stopping him in the halls and asking him if a relative had died. "No," he often responded dejectedly, "in most cases that might actually cheer me up."

The night before, the four—now five—Marauders had gotten together for a round of butterbeers and had a small send-off party for Remus. Of course, most of the guests who ended up showing up (simply by virtue of happening upon them in the Gryffindor common room) thought they were merely saying goodbye to Lupin because his parents had withdrawn him from the school.

Indeed, the room seemed depressingly empty. Gywn and Alice were staying at Hogwarts—if Lily had to guess, she would say that Gwyn would have browbeaten her parents into letting her. Alice's father was an Auror and Lily knew he was smart enough that he didn't think she could be in a safer place than Hogwarts.

Despite this fact, many more parents were withdrawing their children from the school. The castle had never seemed larger, or less joyful. The corridors, instead of being packed with witches and wizards, and the surging sound of hushed conversation, were practically deserted. The unoccupied desks in every classroom were a constant reminder of those who had left.

Among the Gryffindors, Saria Champs had been the first to go. Lily knew she had had to beg her parents to stay after the first attack, and Lily felt guilty knowing that their disastrous go at catching the werewolf had basically sent Saria home. She was far from the only one, though. Chuck Winstrom's father was an important member of the Wizengamot, and had come to personally escort his son off the premises.

More students left, but they were mostly younger students and Lily didn't know all of them or even recognize their faces. She wasn't exactly proud of that fact, of course—she had been one of their Prefects responsible for their well-being. _But this hasn't exactly been a normal year, has it?_ She still wished she'd had more time to learn all their names, though.

With everything that was going on, Lily had been sure the Quidditch match would be cancelled. It seemed so frivolous in light of what had happened. But Dumbledore himself had insisted that the match go on. "When brooms no longer fly the skies above our towers, then we will truly know Hogwarts has changed. And not for the better, I suspect," he had said.

She had to admit that, without the anticipatory build-up to the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw game, the Great Hall would have been so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Meals had become a tense, uncomfortable affair. It was hard to go about carrying on a normal conversation thinking about everything that had happened. The younger students were nearly scared out of their wits; the older ones grimly introspective.

But when someone mentioned Quidditch, a bit of the old fire lit up their eyes. Frank Longbottom was especially excited. With Winstrom out of school and off the team, James had shifted himself over to Seeker and picked Frank up to play Chaser. He discussed match strategy extensively with Remus, who Lily knew was trying his best to put up a courageous front.

_If there's anything Gryffindors can be certain of in times like this,_ she mused, _it's that we still deserve to win at Quidditch._ Dorcas Meadowes was still furious about the fact that Ravenclaw Chaser Augustus Hornvarger had crashed into her last year, a supposed accident that had ended her season.

"I'm only going to get two more shots at them," she said heatedly.

"Imagine how the seventh-years feel, then," Sirius reminded her. "This is our last chance to see the House Cup." Dorcas made him promise to get back later at anyone who played dirty and then nestled in his arms. Apparently, his near-death experience had finally convinced him to come straight with Dorcas about his feelings towards her, because they'd gotten together some time in the interim.

"I'm getting a flash of inspiration…mm…trip-wires and Extra-Potent Dungbombs…"

House spirit clearly just wasn't the same, however, as they headed out towards the pitch. Everyone dressed in their customary scarlet-and-gold garb, and a few banners floated lustily in the air proclaiming certain doom for the Ravenclaw. But Sirius hadn't managed to come up with any new chants this year, normally one of his favorite pre-match hobbies. Lily seemed to recall that last year he'd come up with a particularly nasty one about Slytherin's Keeper, Jack Quill.

She tried to remember what it had been. Something about how scoring on him was a piece of cake, because there were no hands on a snake.

The stands felt huge without the full crowd behind them. They'd seemed a lot smaller when the students were packed in shoulder-to-shoulder, with hardly enough room to breathe. The center box was emptier as well; although Dumbledore filled his familiar seat in the middle, the seats on either side of him were empty.

_McGonagall,_ Lily thought. _She's not here._ She always watched their Quidditch matches. Right at that moment the Gryffindor team sailed out of their changing room and took up positions high above the field. Lily surveyed her surroundings and made sure all eyes were turned towards them, and then pulled the Marauder's Map out of her pocket.

She still had James's things, she remembered guiltily. But he hadn't asked for them yet, and she'd gotten used to having the Map. Whispering, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," she glanced quickly at the diagrams of the first floor.

Sure enough, McGonagall's dot was slowly bouncing back and forth along the front corridor. _That's mean, to give her guard duty while Gryffindor's playing_.

She didn't have too long to ponder that mystery, however. Once again there was a conspicuous dot in the dungeons, labeled as 'Michael Avus.' He was even easier to spot this time, since there were so few people in the castles. He was, in fact, the only person on that entire level.

_Why is he down there?_ She hadn't seen him since that dueling lesson after Halloween. Hadn't Sirius said he was still a full-time Auror, and he only dropped in to give them those lessons? That he was still being given missions by the Ministry?

She quashed the uneasy feeling that threatened to overtake her and folded the map back up. Michael Avus could wait for another day, she just wanted to try to enjoy something for once, without worrying about all the mysteries that were entangling them. Besides, she could go looking for him after the match was over.

By the time she focused her attention on the match, the score was already twenty-nothing, Gryffindor. Roenna Peakes, the Ravenclaw Seeker, was currently on a fly-by near the Gryffindor benches, followed by jeers.

"Hey, Peakes, are you sitting a broom or trying to strangle it?"

"I'd point the Snitch out, but why make you run around when you aren't going to catch it anyways?"

"Hey!" Hagrid's voice rose over the din. "Let's keep this righ' and civil!"

There were more explicit insults, and also a fair amount of incoherent hooting that made Lily roll her eyes. She pulled a second-year off the rail when he leaned out too far, and his eyes widened when he saw her.

"You're Lily Evans!"

Taken aback, she scrutinized his face. Did she know him? "Yes, I am. And you are?"

"Nate Hale! You're going out with James Potter! He's my hero—oh, oh, do you think you could get his autograph for me?"

Somewhere nearby she heard a snigger, and looked up to see Sirius relaxing against the same railing.

"Sure," she told him, taking the paper and quill from his outstretched hands. "Now sit down, it's not safe this close to the edge."

Then she made her way over to Sirius. Remus was peering up at the action, a meditative quality to his eyes, and Peter was at his side with a Gryffindor Lion flag waving madly in hand. Above them, Angelina Flop dove down and scored a goal past Dorcas's outstretched hands, much to Sirius's displeasure.

"Better be careful, Black," she warned. "The slightest wind—" She put a hand on Sirius back and applied a bit of pressure. "—could send you sailing off."

"Evans," Sirius said, mock-concerned. "I'm beginning to think we're having a bad influence on you."

She scoffed skeptically. "You wish."

"Sure, I do. If we got the Head Girl _and_ Head Boy completely on our side…imagine the havoc we could wreak, Remus."

"Perhaps I should be glad I'm taking this little leave of absence," Remus shot back. "Otherwise I'd get expelled with the rest of you."

"Well, if we're going to go out, we'd better go out in style. It'd have to be the biggest prank ever…any ideas, Evans?"

A cheer rumbled from behind them, students rising to their feet as someone scored another goal.

"Gwyn's playing well," he noted. "And that Longbottom's no slouch, either. What were we talking about again?"

"Huge prank ideas."

"Oh, right."

"Re-route the lake into the Slytherin common room," she suggested.

When Sirius appeared to begin seriously considering the idea, she hastily added, "I won't have any part of it, though. And if you're caught, the whole thing never came from me."

She paused for a moment. _Should I tell them? About Avus_. But she couldn't bear to bring the whole thing up with Remus right there. _Better not to give him false hopes. I need proof first_. She also needed someone she could trust to help her.

"The Snitch looks nasty-fast today." Sirius's head was lolling back and forth, and she gathered he was following the movement of the twitching gold flash far off that indicated the Snitch.

"Huh?"

"It does seem a bit…speedier than normal," Remus said.

Lily tried to track it, and when her eyes grew bleary the truth of what they were saying became evident.

"James will still catch it, though, won't he?" Peter asked. Lily wondered inwardly when his obsessive hero-worship of James would end. It was definitely something he needed to grow out of. _Maybe when he leaves school and isn't with James every day he'll pick up new role models,_ she thought. _Here's hoping._

Remus shrugged. "James isn't a natural Seeker."

He amended his statement. "Well, he's skilled enough. But he's better for being a Chaser, he's a bit too big for the job."

_If James was too big for the job, then why didn't he find someone else?_ Lily thought, but didn't say anything. Instead, she begged off and left them there together, pointing excitedly up at the sky, for all appearances three carefree friends taking in a Quidditch match.

When she was out of sight she pulled the Marauder's Map out again and searched for the dot. _There it is_. Avus was in the dungeons, though a different room than he had been in before. A flash of comprehension jolted her. _He's searching them. But for what?_

Alice was still sitting where she'd left her.

"How's Frank doing?" Lily asked, half-interested, thoughts consumed by the mysterious appearance of Michael Avus and something she remembered Remus saying. _"Of course, it would be easier if we could get the werewolf in his human form. He'll still be dangerous…a wizard, most probably…but we'd outnumber him. And I could help. But as to finding him…there's no reason for him to be anywhere near Hogwarts when he's vulnerable, not transformed." No reason…or was there?_

With a start, Lily realized that Alice had already answered her question. Sitting down quickly, she glanced up at the score. A hundred-ten to eighty, Gryffindor.

"Alice, if I asked you to come with me right now, would you?"

"What?"

"I'm asking you, would you come with me if I told you there was something really important we had to do?"

Alice's tone was confused, uncertain. "Of course, Lily. But, I mean, what—I mean, Frank's playing, this is his first game." Lily cursed herself. It was selfish of her to ask this of Alice. But she didn't know who else she could trust right now.

Taking a deep breath, she explained about the map and what she had seen on it. She also explained her theory about Avus, who she was beginning to suspect was the werewolf.

"So you see," she finished, "he's not transformed right now. But he is poking around the school's dungeons and if we can figure out what he's doing—" She stopped there, not wanting to explain about Lupin. There was reason enough for them to do it besides him, anyways.

"So—" Alice hesitated. "Can I see this map?"

Lily pulled it out. "See, there," she said, pointing at the dot currently standing in a room three-quarters of the way down the hall. "I really wouldn't ask you if it wasn't this important."

At last, Alice bobbed her head. "Of course, we can't go to the teachers with this, can we? Accusing Aurors without proof is never a great idea."

"Well come on then," she said, resolved. "Let's go do it."

Lily led the way to the stairs, ducking out during a wild cheer.

"Who was that?"

"I think Frank."

"That's good," she said, stopping to make sure Alice was following her.

It was a lot faster going after they got out of the arena. The beaten path up to the school was deserted, and they made good time running up to the castle. When they reached the main entrance hall, panting slightly, Lily raised her hand to signal a stop.

Pulling the map back out of her pocket, she checked to make sure he was still downstairs. Professor McGonagall wasn't doing the patrol route she had been following earlier, Lily noticed. She was now in her office, probably trying to sight the pitch with an enchanted pair of binoculars or something.

"Alright," she said between breaths, "let's rest a bit. I don't want him to hear us when we go down."

Alice agreed, and slumped down on the steps. "So—what made you think Avus was the werewolf?"

"Timing, mainly." Her breathing was close to normal again. "Always here in the middle of the month, never during the full moon. Said he was going abroad to Sirius, but then shows up regularly."

"How could Dumbledore not know, though?" Alice wondered. Lily shook her head; it was a question she had thought of as well.

"I have no idea. Come on, let's get downstairs. He's searching the rooms, so let's try to get past him and duck into one of the ones he already covered." She pointed at the map. "Here, remember the old Potions room? He just got through that."

They padded down the stone steps that led to the dungeons, Lily hoping that he didn't have particularly good hearing when he had reverted to his human form. Something else clicked in her mind—the werewolf's size. Avus was quite large, a good head taller than Remus, and long of limb.

Lily raised her hand to stop when they reached the room he was in. They could hear books being shuffled aside and discarded, and the creaking of cabinets opening. When she glanced back, Alice was mouthing something.

She tried again. _Isn't that the supply closet?_

Lily glanced at the scarred and pitted frame. It had been, anyways. Slughorn had moved most of the substances inside upstairs so they'd be closer to his office. He once told her he was tired of the trek down to the dungeons just to get enough dandelion root for a lightening concoction.

With a flick of her hand, she indicated they should try to cross the open doorway. All seemed to have gone smoothly—she was halfway into the classroom—when she heard a _thump_ from behind her. She spun and saw that Alice had tripped on a stone that had broken away from the smooth floor.

Frantically, she waved with her hand as a voice called out, "Who's there?" She just heard steps shuffling out into the corridor as Alice ducked around into the classroom, panting heavily.

"I'm sorry!" she whispered, panic in her voice, as Avus called out again. His heels were clicking against the stone, turning…Lily chanced a glance around the corner. He was searching the room across from them.

"Come out, come out," his voice said tauntingly. "I don't need the full moon out to dispense with you, bastard. Show yourself!"

_Think think think_, she berated herself. He was going to tear through their room soon enough, and she doubted they could get away locked inside the cabinets like she had when playing hide-and-go-seek with Petunia when they had been little girls. The sudden flood of memory startled her.

Not knowing what else to do, a bolt of inspiration hit her. _The map!_ It didn't seem likely, but just maybe… as she shrugged it out of her robes and spread it out, the ringing echo of his steps seemed to fade away.

"Did he go?" she asked Alice. Her friend shook her head and pointed across. He'd gone into the other room, but he probably was still keeping an eye on their side.

She turned her attention back to the map, searching, searching…_There._ She couldn't believe it. Right there, where only an empty stretch of wall stood in front of them, the map indicated a small space, perhaps six by six square.

She tugged Alice's sleeve and approached the wall. Her friend was looking at her questioningly. _Now what?_ she seemed to be asking, and Lily realized she had the same question. She turned back down to the map, and watched as her dot expanded into a somewhat crudely drawn rendering of herself, tugging on a sconce.

_No way. That's so…predictable._ It couldn't hurt to try, however, so she tugged on the sconce. The wall vanished in front of them, unveiling the cramped cubby-hole within.

She gestured at Alice to get in, and then followed her inside, wondering whether it would close up in time. When the stone reappeared, thick and solid, they were shrouded in darkness. Finally she let her breath out and started gasping.

"That was a close call," she gasped. "Wasn't it, Alice? Alice?"

She turned around and found Alice fixated upon some pieces of paper pasted to the wall, illuminating them with her wand. They fairly covered it, going up to a height some two feet beyond where she could reach.

"What is this?"

Lily came over and poured over some of the hastily scribbled lists and instructions, and realized.

"These are potions," she said. She glanced at a few of them. "Potions I've never heard of before…"

"Wow, look, 'Permanent Elixir of Life,'" Alice pointed out. "That'd have made them a fortune."

Lily nodded, but then read the text across the bottom. It was harsh, sharp red lines. _Impossible. Prop. PS Forbidden._

"Guess whoever this was wasn't so successful with that one," she said. She glanced at a few more and was surprised to see some more recently invented potions. One in particular caught her eye.

_Wolfsbane Potion._ The annotation read, _Close, getting closer. Little wolf friends would like a taste of this. Prop. WB + NS, poison vanishes, must be mixed at NM. No test subject._

She realized with shock what it was, or at least what it sounded like. _A cure for werewolves? Who was this person?_ She tried to memorize the formulas—it was incredibly complex, though, and she resolved to come back later and copy it.

"Lily?"

"Yeah?" Her voice sounded distant, even to her.

"Can you check the map? See if he's gone?"

"Oh, right." She'd forgotten completely. She pulled the map out of robes and then had a thought.

"Here, I forgot to close it up right so you'll be able to read it," she said, giving the map to Alice. Then she found the quill and paper she'd taken from that second-year. _What was his name? Nate, Nate._

She started scribbling down the notes, trying to copy them verbatim. _That's clever, glacial water, of course that'd be better. Only clockwise, hmm, I'm not sure about that, but…_

"I—I think he's gone," Alice announced.

"Are you sure?" Her wand trembled slightly in her left hand as she copied rapidly with the right.

"Yeah, he's on the first-floor landing now…I think he's leaving the castle."

"Great. Alright, look, let's just wait a second, make sure he isn't doubling back and trying to catch us on the way out." _Almost, almost done now._

She crumpled the paper up and dropped it into a small pouch. After a few minutes, during which Alice stared intently at the Marauder's Map, Lily began to feel safe.

"He's probably not going to come back," she said. "Let's get out."

She found the sconce, dusty with age and disuse, a mirror-image of the one she'd pulled on the other side. As the stone vanished once again, they stepped out into the potions room.

When they reached the stairs, Lily remembered the map and took it back from Alice. A quick mutter vanished the text and diagrams, and just in time. As they whirled around the landing, they ran right into Professor Slughorn.

"Woah, slow down, girls. I guess you want to be getting up to the celebration, eh?"

Lily and Alice must have appeared petrified, but Slughorn mistook their expressions. "Oh, don't look so frightened, I'm not holding it against you. Truth be told, Ravenclaw's not much of a team, and we'll be able to make it up in the standings."

The pieces fell into place, and Lily found she could move her lips again. "Sorry about that, Professor. You should try to get the Sorting Hat to give them some more promising athletic prospects, I guess."

He chortled and patted his ample stomach. "Alas, I have no control over that thing. If I did, I'd make it sing less and choose quicker, ha!"

Alice and Lily laughed nervously. "Oh, get on with it, then, I won't hold you up…oh, and you know, I've been lax with the Slug Club this year…" _Oh, right._ To be honest, Lily had completely forgotten about the Slug Club, and wasn't tremendously anxious to see it reinstated. Slughorn's little get-togethers had been nice enough, but his idea of what type of people counted in the world didn't always mesh with hers.

But she only said, "I didn't notice."

He was off-put by that. "Well, anyways, I thought I'd try to remedy it after the Christmas holidays. I'll let you know more later, I'm sure you want to be getting up to the revelries." Slughorn started off, his slow, ponderous waddle taking him slowly downstairs. Without a second glance behind them, Lily and Alice hurried back upstairs, reaching the Fat Lady in record time.

The portal practically burst open with the roar of noise behind it, admitting Lily and Alice into a room wild with celebration. Gwyn fell on them as soon as they came in, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Could you believe that? Could you? We've practically got the Cup now!" She was so ecstatic she didn't even notice the pallid expressions of their faces.

"That's—that's great," Lily managed. Frank Longbottom materialized out of the crowd, sweat matting his hair down to his head, still in his flying robes. He picked Alice up by the waist and spun her around in the air, laughing.

Gwyn jumped back into the center after a second, probably to get drinks. Lily began moving around the edge of the room, wanting to find Remus to tell him what she had found. _He could be cured!_ she thought. She supposed someone still had to stop Avus, but Bringfer or Dumbledore or one of the better-experienced wizards could handle that. This was enough to get Lupin back to Hogwarts. _If and when,_ she remembered, glumness intruding on her thoughts. _If I can figure out how to make it work for sure, and when I get the chance. I'd bet my life NM means new moon…_

She found him by the fireplace, but stopped when she saw she was interrupting. He and James were leaning on the mantelpiece, quietly talking. Neither of them looked as if Gryffindor had just won a huge victory. As she watched, James wrapped Lupin up in a full hug and then pressed something small into his hand. It flickered in the light, casting strange fluttering shadows that played over the marble and brick.


	17. Un Roman de la Neige

Chapter Seventeen – Un Roman de la Neige

Snow fell on Hogwarts shortly after Remus's departure, a thick down blanket that smothered the earth and set them on their way to the holidays. Before he had left, Lily had told him about the potion formula she had found, although not where it had been discovered. He'd looked quite stunned, though she made sure he understood that the formula as recorded likely wasn't perfect.

As her workload decreased heading into the holidays she began working feverishly on the Wolfsbane Potion. She gave James back all his little toys, putting off the temptation to catch Avus herself after their disastrous attempt at cornering him doing something suspicious in the dungeons. _I can't deal with him, but I know I can crack this potion._

The problem—well, one of many—was that if the mysterious author's notes were correct, she could only create it during the new moon. And even then, she faced the same problem he had: a lack of test subjects. Eager as she was to give Lupin some hope, she wasn't keen on him taking the risk of being the first to try it.

She had never found herself as thankful for all the time they had spent in Potions learning the theory of chemical-magical interactions. It was one of those subjects, she knew, that almost everyone took an instant loathing to, and one of the few areas of study she had deeply enjoyed. And all those skills would come to bear on this project, of that she was quite certain.

Apparently, the whole matter was taking its toll on her. She lost points from Gryffindor for the first time in as long as she could remember when she fell asleep on her desk during McGonagall's Transfiguration class. The professor's hurt look had cut her deeply, but she knew that McGonagall would have forgiven her if she knew what she was spending her time doing.

_Not snogging James Potter_, she thought with a hint of amusement, resigned to the fact that this was the explanation that was most commonly accepted by students and teachers alike. It was true that they were spending a fair amount of time together—just not quite in the way that others had imagined it.

When she had explained her mission to him, he'd instantly volunteered to help in any way he could. Unfortunately, when she started explaining how she wanted to tackle the problem theoretically, she saw the glazed look that came over his eyes. _So this is how Slughorn feels when he starts talking about the Cormack's Law of Proportional Antagonism._

He was actually a great help, though, once he figured out the right way to assist her. He was now tackling almost all their Head Boy and Girl duties by himself, which left him in almost as bad a state as Lily during classes. Of course, the teachers gave him the same leeway they gave Lily, and even seemed to approve of their nonexistent romance.

Her time was mostly spent in the library, with Mephistopheles being her only companion. And a somewhat inconstant one, at that—he often ran off chasing after rats, and seemed to pursue them around the whole castle before returning. He also made a habit of yawning widely, teeth glinting in the candlelight, as if trying to say he was bored.

James visited from time to time, and she set him to collecting the books she needed to read up on. He would occasionally make an effort at reading through them himself, although oftentimes he only ended up rubbing his temples in frustration.

"I guess we've finally found the winner for hardest branch of magic," he said one day as they were sitting among their usual stacks of books.

"Look at this." He pointed at one book. " 'Cures for transformative afflictions are nearly impossible, unless the transformation in question stems from a certain part of the body that can be removed or otherwise individually treated.' And then here, in this one. 'A transformative disease can only be cured through holistic treatment, applicable to the body entire.' "

Lily nodded. "But—but—" he sputtered. "They're completely different!"

She smiled indulgently at him. "James, look at the publication dates on those books." He checked them, and adopted a somewhat abashed expression.

"So which one do you think is right?" One book had been published sometime in the 12th century, if she remembered correctly.

"Probably not this one," he said glumly, tossing the ancient, leather-bound volume aside. "I was wondering why it was done up in that weird calligraphy."

"That's the illuminated hand of Gregory of Smarmy!" she protested. "He was one of the greatest Potions-makers in all of wizarding history!"

James sounded unconvinced. "You mean Gregory _the_ Smarmy? The one on the Chocolate Frog cards?"

"Smarmy was his birthplace," she insisted. "And that card doesn't focus on the right things about his career."

"Whatever you say, I still wouldn't want the nickname."

She didn't respond for a while, and he chose a different tack. "So anyways, if we need to be finding a—what does she say in that book—'_holistic treatment_,' then how do we go about doing that?"

She pulled the book close to her and flipped through the index, searching for wolfsbane. "Well at least you've finally realized our difficulty, haven't you?"

"Eh?"

"Werewolves are infected through the blood," she said. "And it's the blood you need to cleanse. And it has to be fast, because the magic behind the infection makes it spread really rapidly."

James drew meaningless patterns in the air with his wand. "So you mean…if you don't heal it fast enough, the blood that's still infected re-infects the cleansed part before the whole process is through?"

She was pleased he'd seen it. "He has a brain after all," she said to Mephistopheles, who was curled around her feet.

"But almost anything that's ingested won't travel through the bloodstream evenly enough," he said, ignoring the sally.

"Precisely," she said.

"So what we really need is a way to make it get through your system faster?"

"Well, that's the first problem…"

"Oh God." He threw up his hands and stood up, wand waving around. "This is ridiculous. You have no idea how much I want to tear these books up right now…" His wand was pointing dangerously close to a stack of alchemical works collected by the disciples of Paracelsus.

"Don't you dare mess with those," she warned him. "Those might have the key to the whole thing." She went back to scouring the volume in front of her, muttering to herself. _No, it couldn't be onion root, that doesn't make sense…maybe a little silver nitrate dissolved in, the silver would have to be enough to weaken the werewolf blood, it might make it more willing to accept…_

James interrupted her train of thought as she scribbled _Ag? Small dose_ on a scrap of paper.

"Well, are you going to let me in on the secret of the second problem?"

She leaned back. "I'll give you a hint. Did you feel hungry when you woke up this morning?"

He threw her a puzzled, half-irritated look. "I guess, I don't really remember."

"Why do you think we feel hungry?" She searched his expression. _He'll get this sooner or later._

"That's easy, it's because we—oh. You'll burn through it, won't you? Like we go through food."

She nudged him to the side, reaching for another book. "I'm looking for a way to make this effect permanent, but it's tricky because the ingredients that act on the blood will pass through the system. It's not simple stuff."

"You'd figure there'd be something with the magic to make things last forever," James said angrily.

She gave him a sad, weary glance. "You know that's not possible, James. Nothing lasts forever." They lapsed into silence as she started rifling through _Rare Herbs and Exceptional Pathologies: A Wizards' Forest Guide._

"We talked about this before," James said, eyes suddenly brightening.

"Eh?"

"Earlier this year, remember? A Potions essay." It suddenly struck her. They had discussed the exact same issue earlier, with Lily saying that the one weakness of potions was their effect was never persistent.

"I guess we did," she admitted.

"Back then you said you couldn't really fix Potions to last forever."

"Well, we'll just have to hope I was wrong then, wasn't I?" James didn't have a quick retort for that. A hiss from below the table reminded her of Mephistopheles; he darted off, a gray and white flash wending its way through obstacles with the grace of a shadow.

The hours ticked away; in the interim, James finished up a star chart for Astronomy and an essay for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He yawned then, and turned to the windows. It was pitch-black.

"We'd better get back to our rooms," he said. "It's getting late."

She waved him off. "I'll be okay here for a few more hours."

"Are you sure? We missed dinner, you know."

She hadn't noticed, actually. The candle in front of her, which had stood as high as her nose when she'd begun, had burned down so it was level with the Gryffindor crest on her sleeves.

"Well, there's always tomorrow," she said.

"There is." When she didn't respond, he went on. "You can get back to this tomorrow. Come on, Lily. Remus appreciates what you're doing, but I don't think he'd want you to kill yourself for him."

"A few nights on short sleep aren't going to do me in, James." She was annoyed to find she had to stifle a yawn while saying it.

"You're pushing yourself too hard. You're not going to pull this out of your hat as a Christmas gift for him, you know." She was startled by the way he'd put that. She'd been harboring notions that she could manage to do just that. _That's stupid, and I should know it. I'll only get to making a first test batch a week or so before Christmas, it couldn't possibly be perfected by then._

"Lily—"

"No," she cut him off. "If you're tired, go to sleep. I'm not forcing you to stay here and wait around." The comment he'd made had come a little too close for comfort. It was as if she had a picture of the school coming back to normal, the snows thawing, the grass springing up as the leaves flowered on the trees, the potion curing Remus and letting him return even while the other werewolf was caught.

_I'd even give it to him_, she thought. _He'd still have to go to Azkaban, but he could have that little mercy._

James looked dejected, but didn't go. She turned back to the books, but could feel his eyes boring into her.

"What are you looking at?" she finally asked, exasperated.

He didn't answer for a long time, until she caught his eyes. Then he answered, "The kindest, most stubborn girl I know."

"Get some sleep, Potter. Now I know you're past your bedtime, you're getting a bit too touchy-feely."

He shook his head. "I'm not going until you come with me, Evans."

"Then you'd better hunker down for the long haul," she shot back.

"Bah! There's no winning with you, is there?" He got up and started packing his books and parchment into his bag.

She had just started feeling a bit smug with her victory when he said, "If it's the long haul I'm in for, then I'm not going hungry. At least let me bring you something back from the kitchens."

Now that sounded like an offer she could take.

-000-

Sometimes it felt as if the days, as well as the daylight, were shortening. Before she realized it the moon was the faintest sliver in the sky, barely visible through the dark powder of the clouds.

Despite having failed to tackle any of the major problems that were holding her back, Lily decided to create a few test solutions. One was identical to the original creator's invention, and the other three contained separate ingredient add-ins that she thought might enhance the effectiveness.

It felt like a fruitless endeavor, but she went through with it anyways, not willing to admit that all her effort was coming to nothing. Even if she couldn't test the potions, she reasoned, at least she could judge the various mixtures with some crude tools. If any of them blew up, lit on fire, froze into a solid mass, or otherwise failed to turn up at least a somewhat ingestible liquid, she'd know it was a dead end. She could also roughly judge potions by eye; generally ones that turned out like mud or sludge had failed, although there were a few notable exceptions to this rule.

She also wanted to try a _Specialis Revelio_ spell on each of them. Well-mixed potions could be decanted into their separate ingredients, since they remained perfectly balanced, their effects and purpose intact in the final amalgam.

The experimenting took her into the holidays. Thankfully, there was enough time required for the potions to simply stew, and she was able to see Alice, Gwyn, Alyssa, and Jennifer off in Hogsmeade. It was a familiar experience by now, sending them off to family on the Hogwarts Express while she watched the train slowly draw her friends away.

The school was a pleasant enough place to spend the holidays, but the castle really didn't capture the spirit of Christmas—no matter how many decorations the house-elves took it upon themselves to create, charm, or otherwise enchant. Drifts of actual snow piled in the halls, magically non-freezing, and thick fir and pine trees sprung up with festive ornaments in every large open space.

The group of holdover students was normally quite small, a disparate group that generally weren't even acquainted with each other. To her surprise, James had elected to stay over for Christmas. Although she hadn't said anything to him, she felt grateful that there would at least be someone to talk to in the castle.

Dinners were a strange affair during the Christmas holidays as well. Since most of the students had left, they all sat at one big table. Most days, she and James ended up sitting next to each other, with Hagrid or Dumbledore across the table. Since Hagrid stayed at the school on holidays, the elves still had to prepare a full spread of food. Lily guessed that made them happy though; they liked to work.

Bringfer showed up a few times to dinner as well, which led to some strained conversations. Once, when James asked him whether he got a break from the Ministry, he had stonily responded, "He don't rest, and neither do I."

Most of her time not spent sleeping or in the Great Hall was spent in the library or the Potions room. After all the work that went into her Wolfsbane Potions, she was somewhat disappointed at the results. The original formula produced a murky liquid, a deep purple so dark it was almost black. She made the mistake of touching it, and had come away with a rather nasty acid burn.

Two of her own admixtures had come back equally unpromising. One failed the sludge test, and the other had frozen into a solid block when she tried using the Revelaspell on it.

The last, however, was promising. It had been fortified with elm bark and a sprinkling of silver salts. Everything she could do to it, every test she put it through, indicated that it might just possibly work. If she could just figure out how to make it spread a bit faster and work permanently, she'd have it. _Easier said than done, unfortunately._

With that goal set before her, she allowed herself to relax a little as Christmas approached. James was right; she wasn't going to get it before then, although she had to hope she was getting closer. In the meantime, she could at least enjoy the free time they had from their schoolwork and the crushing pressure of their impending N.E.W.T.'s.

They spent a day in Hogsmeade shopping for presents. Lily had had to stop James from getting an Incredible Waist-Shrinking Mirror for his mother—"Why not, she'll love how she looks in it!"—by patiently explaining how it could be construed as an offensive comment about her weight. James returned the favor by telling her not to get her dad one of the "adorably funny" hats she discovered, since he might take it as a sign that his hair was either graying too much or balding in an unseemly way.

"Do men really think like that?"

He had insisted they did, but somehow she got the feeling he was just trying to get back at her for the mirror. Nonetheless, the day was by and large a resounding success, even if the vast majority of James's presents ended up coming from Honeydukes.

"No, really," he insisted again and again, "the best thing for Sirius is something he can eat. That way he can really use it!" Somehow the same reasoning applied to a remarkable variety of people, it seemed.

The two of them even found a large box of Ghost Frogs, the white chocolate version that normally only appeared around Halloween.

"You're sure this hasn't just been sitting in a back room since October?" James asked warily.

"No, no," the proprietor assured them, "we got an exclusive contract from the company. Something about regular demand in the area."

The two of them had decided to buy the whole crate as a gift to Dumbledore. Lily had to admit that in his case the gift would likely be very well-received, as his sweet tooth was legendary.

"You'd better not be getting me a box of Sugar Quills or Chocolate Cauldrons," she warned him as they paid.

He smiled slyly, and said, "Oh, so you're expecting a present from me, are you?"

She blinked and colored scarlet. True enough, they'd never exchanged gifts before, hardly being the closest of friends at the school. _Well, except for the time he had tried to give her…but that had been during their fourth-year, and only because he'd wanted her to go out with him._

"It's alright," he said. "I've actually got an idea of what I'm going to get you. Not here, though. Otherwise you'd know, and we can't be having that, now can we?"

Glad that he'd apparently decided to let it go, she said, "I suppose that's fair enough."

Of course, she realized, this meant that she had to get him a gift. The spark of inspiration hit her suddenly. She'd have to go back to Hogsmeade one more time, to be sure; she didn't want him to see it before she got it. It'd be a good laugh, anyways.

The two of them finished the day in the post office, arranging for owls to send off all their gifts. The one James sent back to his house was particularly heavy, since it contained the presents for both his parents and Sirius.

"I just realized, isn't it a bit weird that Sirius is spending Christmas with your family when you aren't?"

He just shrugged. "They treat him like a second son, so I'm sure they don't mind. And he likes them a lot better than…well, let's just say that you'd never want to spend a Christmas with the Blacks."

"Are they really that unpleasant?"

James hesitated. "Towards some people, yes." She'd left it at that, knowing what he had not said. The Blacks were notoriously proud about their pureblood ancestry, and jealously guarded that fact while disdaining anyone who could trace their descent from Muggles. For Lily, she wouldn't have to go far back down the family tree for that; her entire family was Muggles, she the lone aberration among all the normal people.

-000-

Christmas morning dawned without anyone to noticing it. Lily woke up late, and realized she had missed breakfast. James's enchanted bird was flittering over the top of her head, pecking at her lightly and chirping.

She got up and peered down at the foot of her bed. A very untidy stack of presents sat on and around her trunk. She could tell which one was Gwyn's right away—Gwyn always stuck an outrageously large bow on top of hers, and more often than not it was garishly colored. The best description she could come up with for this one was bubble-gum green. When she tore the paper off, she found a box of new perfumes and a scrap of paper with Gwyn's handwriting.

_Hope James likes one of these._

_Love, Gwyn_

_P.S. He'd probably still like you if you rolled around in Sprout's garden patch, though._

Laughing, Lily put it aside and opened up a few of the others. To her surprise, Sirius had sent her a picture frame. The image was one she couldn't remember having taken, a candid shot of the five of them at the Gryffindor table. She watched their figures move slightly. Sirius was waving an arm excitedly, Peter pacing a little back and forth. Remus looked up and smiled before turning back to his newspaper. Lily was leaning back to talk to James, who was hovering over her with a half-smile playing across his lips.

Remus had sent her a gift, too, a pale porcelain unicorn of delicate craftsmanship.

_I'm doing a bit of a European tour. This came from a small workshop in a village outside Nice, thought you'd like it. Hope to hear from you soon, don't work yourself too hard. I'll write you all in more detail as soon as I am able._

_Moony_

There was also a copy of a book Alice had recommended to her, one she'd been meaning to read for some time. Glad to have it, she put it on her shelf. Her family had sent her a set of blouses in airy pastels. She could almost hear her father's voice as she read the note.

_I know you folk like to wear robes up there, but you can't always look so somber, can you? Write back, tell us how you're doing—and send some pictures back if you can! Mother said she thought you'd look pretty in the blue especially. I told her you would in any, of course._

_Love, Dad_

When she got through all her gifts, she realized with a pang of disappoint that she hadn't found one from James. _Why do you care about that?_ she asked herself. _He was probably just joking around when you were talking to him, then he forgot._ It bothered her even as she made her way downstairs, however.

She found Dumbledore in the Great Hall, munching contemplatively on a croissant.

"Ah, Miss Evans! How do you do on this fine Christmas morning?"

"I'm alright, Professor. You?"

"Simply excellent. I find, as the years pass by, that I wake up earlier and earlier for Christmas. The excitement never goes away, no, only grows stronger and stronger with age."

She grinned. "Good to know I'll still want presents when I grow up."

He adjusted his tall cap. "You will find that once you pass a certain age, people think more and more of themselves. The holidays become the only time that people think about what you might like. Ah, speaking of which…thank you very much for the Chocolate Frogs. Quite a supply, hopefully they'll last until next Halloween."

"Don't thank me," she said. "Thank James. He was the one who rummaged around in Honeydukes looking for them." She took a muffin and a glass of pumpkin juice, then piled a plate with some bacon and kippers.

"Ah, yes, I've already thanked Mr. Potter. He was down here earlier in fact, looking for you."

"Mmmphh," was her response. Dumbledore chuckled and waved her off.

"I can see you have other, more pressing concerns at the moment. But I have done my duty and relayed the message." He wiped a few crumbs out of his beard and muttered, "Sometimes I think I should just shave it all off."

Seeing her look of alarm, he raised his hands hastily. "Just joking, of course, just joking. If you'll excuse me, I have some letters that I must write to our good Minister. Yes, and I suppose I'll have to take a trip down to Hogsmeade later to deliver them. Dear, dear." Somehow Lily got the idea that he was hinting something.

After she finished eating, she had a thought about going back to the library and reading some more of the books she'd found. There was something there, there had to be something more. It was just a matter of finding it, just a matter of time.

Halfway up the stairs, she at last ran into James.

"Lily," he breathed. "I've been looking all over for you." His face was oddly flushed; she wondered briefly whether he'd had too much eggnog.

"Come on," he called after him, bounding up a set of stairs away from the library floor. "I have something to show you."

"James, I'd like to do a little—"

"Time for that later," he said. "Please. This will be worth it, I swear."

Sighing, she trooped up the stairs after him. He was taking them two or three at a time, and practically bouncing on every landing.

"Relax, Potter, we'll get there, it's not going to disappear, is it?"

His expression faltered for a second, and his reply was cryptic. "I hope not." Finally he reached out for a door and opened it into a corridor full of old paintings she didn't recognize. She was surprised to realize that these didn't move an inch. It was Muggle art, and quite a collection of it at that.

"I never realized we had so many Muggle paintings," she said. There was even a copy of _The Last Supper_ shrunk down onto an architrave, and something that reminded her of the Mona Lisa.

"Hey, that looks exactly like—"

"It is," James said. "The real thing. Some witch descendent of Da Vinci's filched it ages ago and had a near-perfect replica put in its place in that Muggle museum."

She could hardly believe it, even knowing that Da Vinci was somewhat more than what he was seen as in the Muggle world.

"They say the version in that museum is enchanted," James said, grinning. "Of course, no one believes people are really telling the truth when they swear her lips quirk, or her eyes follow them."

They stopped in front of a plain door, old paneled wood.

"Is it—?" James beckoned her towards the door rather than answering. She squinted at him suspiciously. _What was going on?_

"Don't worry, it's not like I have a dementor in here," he said. "Come on, come on." Finally she decided to approach the door. Whatever was waiting for her in there, she was fairly sure James wouldn't do anything to endanger her.

James swung the door open and beckoned her into the room. It was a richly appointed chamber, almost as large as the dormitories that typically housed four or five girls up in their tower. The furniture was elaborately carved and richly upholstered, and it had the wafting scent of fine antiques and light perfume. A portrait hung over the mantelpiece, and after a second she realized it was none other than Godric Gryffindor himself.

"One of our guest chambers," James said helpfully. "And now, I'm sure you'd like to see our guest."

"She's here!" he called out. Lily heard a shuffling in the adjacent room, and made note of the portal that connected the two. _Really nice suite_, she thought. She wondered if these were what the Professor's quarters were like. She only ever saw them in their offices, and had never really thought about where they slept before.

"Don't be shy, come on," James said, and it took her a while to realize he wasn't talking to her. She heard soft footfalls on the thick carpet, and a cloaked figure appeared from the other room.

It was a girl, judging by how slim she was and how loosely the cloak folded about her. She was quite tall, and when she turned a lock of sallow, pale hair fell into view. But she seemed afraid to lift her head.

"Who are you?" she wondered out loud.

Her voice seemed to startle the girl, because she suddenly glanced up and pulled back the hood of the cloak. Lily gasped.

"It can't be—"

Petunia made a half-hearted attempt at a smile, her hands nervously tucking in her hair.

"Merry Christmas," James's voice said, from somewhere far off in the distance. Lily reached out to her sister, stopped in front of her. She was reluctant to touch her, yet somehow…_Is this all real?_

"Did he kidnap you?" was Lily's first question. She focused in on the room again and saw him standing at her side making vaguely offended noises.

Petunia quickly shook her head and said, "No. He just came to see me. He said—he said he thought we needed to talk."

She glared back at James. "What did you do? Confound her? Stun her or something? I know you better not have used the _Imperius_ curse, because—"

"She came of her own free will," James said, hurt creeping into his tone.

"You swear he didn't force you to come?" Lily asked.

"No, listen, Lily—he just talked to me. He talked a lot about you, actually. I agreed to come because—" Her voice broke. "I…I don't want us to fight anymore. I'm sorry about how I've been all these years, it's just—" Tears were in Petunia's eyes, and her long, thin jaw quivered.

"I'll, er, leave you two alone," James said anxiously, beating a hasty retreat and closing the door behind him. Lily was too stunned to speak.

"I understand if you don't want to talk to me," Petunia said miserably. Now that the words had started, they came in a veritable flood. "I've been horrible to you for such a long time, it's just—oh, I wanted so much to be normal, and then to have a sister like, like…you didn't know what it was like, and everyone asking me in school where you went, and then the teachers asking Mum and Dad, and every time someone gave me a look it felt like they knew…" She trailed off.

Lily still wasn't sure what to say. Finally, she settled for, "I do want to talk to you." And then, again, more firmly. "No, I do. It's great you're here, I'm just surprised. I'm not exactly used to entertaining visitors."

Petunia managed to chuckle a little at the joke. "Yeah, it's not like Mum and Dad can exactly bring the family up here to see you, huh?"

"Not if they don't want to get zapped with Memory Charms," she agreed. Petunia's face soured for a second. "Sorry, I keep forgetting you don't like it when I mention…" She left the rest to implication.

"No, it's alright. I guess—I should, you know, I guess get used to it. It has to happen sooner or later, right?"

Neither of them knew what to say. Lily finally made her way over to the fire crackling softly in the hearth and sat down on one of the seats. Petunia sunk down beside her. All thoughts of Wolfsbane Potion were banished from her thoughts, for the first time in a fortnight.

"Is the fire here—is it magical?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like…I don't know, it can't go out or something?'

Lily laughed. "No, we can't manage to do something like that. It was probably started with a spell, though. At least, I've never seen house-elves walking around with matches…"

"House what?" Petunia squeaked nervously.

"Sorry. They're the, erm, servants around here. I know this is all a lot to take in at once, this must seem unreal."

"Yeah, just a little bit." Petunia turned and started warming her hands in the fire. "I never knew your school was so beautiful. It's like the castles in all the storybooks, it looks like it's been here for a thousand years."

"A bit longer, if the histories are to be believed," Lily said. She turned to the fire and started warming her hands as well. _When did it get so cold in here?_ she wondered. _And how am I still sweating?_

"So—" she finally broke the silence. "What…how…what convinced you to come here? I just mean, it doesn't really seem like, er…"

"Something I'd do?" Petunia filled in. Lily winced, but her sister smiled. "No, I know, this must be quite the shock. I guess—well, James."

"Seriously, if he forced you to come, I _will_ take you home," Lily said. "And I _will_ kill him." She was already reaching into her robes for her wand.

Petunia shook her head again. "Really, it wasn't like that. He didn't even really ask me to come. He just talked to me about you, and about your school, and about your friends and classes and…"

"Did he make you listen?" Lily couldn't imagine that Petunia would have stayed in a room holding polite conversation with a wizard. There had to be something more there.

"No, he didn't—he…well, that's not the important part, the important part is that I did listen. Anyways, he made me realize that—well, this is going to sound horrible, but he made me realize that…well, you're still a person, you know."

"Yes, I am," Lily said sardonically.

"That's not really the way I meant it to come out."

"It's okay," she answered after a while. Her eyes trailed up to the portrait of Gryffindor hanging on the wall. _Be brave, Lily_, she told herself. _Aren't you brave enough to face your own sister?_ She forced herself to look Petunia in the eye.

"I mean," Petunia said, "he made me realize you're still my sister, no matter what. And after a while, talking to him, I just felt…I felt I wished I knew you better. He knew so many things about you that I didn't, had a lot of stories…I mean, I understand it's my own fault I don't, you don't have to say it—"

Petunia blurred in Lily's vision and she hastily wiped her eyes on her sleeve. Snow was falling outside the window, so slowly that it seemed weightless, like a trick of the light. It was a floating white blur, a splash of paint on her field of vision.

"I wasn't going to say that," Lily said at last.

"Anyways, I hope you can forgive me, Lily. I've been so horrible to you all these years, I know I don't deserve it, but..." Petunia's breath caught in her throat.

Lily reached out and touched her hand lightly against her sister's hair. Petunia shuddered violently as Lily's fingers gently stroked her.

"I'm the one who should be sorry," Lily said, voice full of regret, aged with their lost years. "I should have made more of an effort to reach out to you. I know how weird it must have felt, just one day hearing that your sister is a—well, a witch. I'd probably have gotten pretty scared too if it had been the other way around."

And all at once Lily was encircled in a pair of long, bony arms, and Petunia was holding her as if both their lives depended on it. Her sister was sobbing, she realized. She hadn't seen her sister cry since they were both little girls, probably when they had been ten years old. Petunia had shut even her tears away from Lily since then.

And then she felt herself reaching out to hold her sister, tight in her arms, whispering all her regrets away as she pressed her face into Petunia's hair.

She insisted on giving her sister the full tour of the castle afterwards, leading her by the hand through the various hallways. As they walked around, Lily couldn't help noticing that everyone else in the castle seemed to have made themselves quite scarce. She suspected James probably had something to do with that; could picture him herding all the protesting students into one of the classrooms and telling them they weren't to go wandering outside.

Petunia initially recoiled the first time they got to a moving staircase, but after Lily stepped out on it and showed her it was safe, they both went up to the Gryffindor Tower to see where she lived during the year. Petunia had gaped open-mouthed when Lily talked to the Fat Lady, just as she had at every painting hung on the school's walls.

"Is that—are talking—that's normal here?"

"I'm afraid so. It took me the better part of my first year to get used to it. They can hold full-on conversations with you, they understand what you're saying, that's the most disturbing part." Petunia had nodded mutely.

After the tower, she had shown her the Great Hall. She had thought the ceiling would be the most fascinating part, but after a second Petunia said, "I guess it's just like a skylight. Bigger, of course. Or the planetarium." They had shared a laugh about that, before Lily took her outside and walked her around some of the paths on the Grounds. Since it was winter, the drifts were high enough to obscure most of the landscape and the surface of the lake was frozen into a hazy gray mirror.

"In the spring it's really beautiful, the lake is the purest blue you'll ever see, and the trees around it are full of leaves and flowers. It's breath-taking."

"I can imagine." Lily tried to imagine what it was like from Petunia's point of view, taking it all in for the first time.

Lily didn't know whether she had ever been happier. Certainly, she couldn't remember a time when she had been. Her first year at Hogwarts had felt so lonely at times, she had stayed awake to watch her breath fog the windows while the other girls slept and wished miserably for her old life—all the while knowing that Surrey held its own sort of misery as well. She had found and forged friendships over the years, bonds that had made the foreboding grey stone fortress seem a bit warmer, but there was always a sense that it could never be entirely hers, and she would never fit perfectly in its high halls or wood-paneled classrooms. Now when she glimpsed the towers, the recollections of her and Petunia running through the corridors fresh in her mind, she at last saw home.

She reflected sadly about Remus, wondering where he was right now. He had seen Hogwarts as his home, she was sure. It made her all the more determined to somehow win it back for him.

As they trekked back from the edge of the Haunted Forest, Petunia said softly, "I met a guy the other day."

Lily quirked an eyebrow. "Really? My little sister has a boyfriend?"

Petunia blushed. "We're going out next Saturday. Dad already wants to invite him over for supper, but I thought it'd be better to keep him away from Mum and Dad until we've been dating awhile."

"Already planning that far ahead, are we?" Lily teased. "You must really like this guy, huh? If you're trying to keep him away from Mum and Dad."

Petunia giggled at that.

"He's different than most of the other boys I've met." She was brushing some snow off the branch of the big birch tree at the edge of the lake.

"Not like, bad-different," she added hurriedly. "He's just a normal bloke, but he already knows where he wants to go with his life, he's taking business courses at the local university."

Her cheeks were bright and rosy. "We talk about how it would be like to have a home together. You know, kids, a car in the driveway."

"Does he make you happy?" Lily asked. Petunia bobbed her head, although Lily noticed something odd in her eyes. She didn't offer any more information, and Lily felt it was too soon to pry. They made their way back up to the castle, but stayed outside, walking around the walls on paths that led to nowhere in particular.

Lily was shocked to find the day so quickly gone. It was as if the sun stole away their hours together, and fled with them towards the horizon in a wash of roaring reds and deep purples. When Petunia looked up at the sky she said, "Wow, Mum and Dad aren't going to be happy with me."

"You didn't tell them you were leaving?"

"I thought it'd be a quicker visit," Petunia said. She colored scarlet. "I guess—I thought you wouldn't really want to see me, and I'd be back before dinner." Petunia's words reminded Lily that she hadn't eaten since that morning's breakfast, but she still felt alive with energy.

"We'd better get you home, then," she said. She strove hard to keep the regret out of her voice, but she could still hear it.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Did you—did James—"

"He did that thing, that teleporting, whatever you call it."

"So you've Apparated, then," Lily said with relief. "Put your hand on my arm…"

The two girls spun once in the snow, and then blinked out of sight. Lily was quite used to the sensation of Apparition by that point, but Petunia groaned once the world slowed down and they found themselves on the back lawn of the house. She took a hesitant step forward and then retched.

"Sorry, I know it's kind of a rough feeling."

"I'm alright," Petunia said weakly. "Better than flying, actually."

"Really?"

"I'm afraid of heights."

"I never knew that," Lily said, surprised.

"I guess there are a lot of things we don't know about each other," Petunia said ruefully. They stood awkwardly in the snow, both finding their feet remarkably engaging.

"Will you—will you write me? With the owls, right, if that's how you do it…"

Lily considered. "That's probably best. I can actually send post to you, but I know the post wouldn't reach Hogwarts. You can send your replies back that way."

Petunia nervously giggled. "Never thought I'd have to send something by owl. You know, I used to bar my windows when those birds came by. Even when they weren't for you, they were just the ones living in the woods."

That was funny, Lily had to admit. She could definitely imagine her sister double-checking her locks whenever she saw a bird come close to the house.

"Well, bye then," Petunia said.

"Wait—" Petunia stopped at the door. "I have to know. James must have done something to make you listen, I just know it."

Her sister seemed to be gauging how best to answer. Finally she said, "It's nothing bad, you know."

"I'm sure it wasn't." Despite whatever she might say, she knew James was harmless. He'd just been trying to do the right thing in his own mutton-headed way.

"Still," she persisted, "I'd like to know." The wind was picking up, and a few flakes of snow blew into Lily's hair.

Petunia sighed. "I'm sure he's told you a million times, so it's not like it's any huge secret…"

"What do you mean?"

Petunia gazed at her in a solemn sort of way. "You mean you honestly can't figure out what he said to me?"

"No, I can't." Lily searched her mind for something that James would have known about her that would have given Petunia pause, something that would have made her sit down and listen. She waited, arms crossed and trying to control her shivering.

"He told me he loved you," her sister said, barely audible over the soft whisper of the wind. "He said he wanted to make you happy."

-000-

Lily Apparated back to Hogwarts, a strange loneliness flooding her heart as she walked through the gates. She could still see two tracks of footprints through the windblown snow, not yet fully covered though they were already fading away. The drifts and banks all around were formless and insubstantial, and glittered like sapphire in the moonlight.

Her head was a roar of sound, a thousand different instincts given voice; and over all the steady thrum, a memory of her own proud declaration. _He'd been such an arrogant fool, and a bully besides. "I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," she had said._ It seemed as if she'd said those words a thousand years ago, and to another person.

When she entered the castle she found Mephistopheles by the doors, growling. He sounded hungry, and Lily was happy to find something to distract her. She didn't want to go up to the Gryffindor common room just yet. She could guess who was waiting for her there, and at the moment her feelings were such a confused jumble she couldn't face him.

_I got him a hat_, the voice inside her moaned, mortified. She wondered how long he had been planning her gift. _Probably since he saw my family over the summer._ The thought did nothing to make her feel better. When they had been in Hogsmeade it had seemed like such a good gift, something to make him laugh—the exact same hat he'd told her would make her father feel old and decrepit.

"Come on," she said to Mephistopheles. "We'll go see if the house-elves have any treats for us." She made her way across the main hall, Mephistopheles in tow, and turned down the corridor on the right. She scrutinized the paintings for some time, finally finding the one that had been described to her by her friends a few years back. Feeling a little ridiculous, she reached out and tentatively touched the pear. Nothing happened.

_Tickle it_, she thought. _You really have to tickle it. _Thinking about how stupid she would look if anyone happened to see her just now, she tickled the pear. She jumped back when it started giggling, and a handle appeared.

"Guess they weren't lying," she muttered, opening the door. She had hardly put one foot in the door when she was mobbed by a gaggle of house-elves, who gave off every impression of being beyond delighted to see her.

"Welcome, welcome!" they shouted excitedly. Their happy shouts mixed together until she could hardly understand a word they said.

"Slow down, slow down. One at a time."

They all stopped talking at once, and finally one said tentatively, "Mistress is wanting some food?" Then they all burst in again, and she could barely make out a few words…_turkey_, _pie_, _pumpkin juice_.

"Just a little bit, whatever you have left from dinner," she said. Before she had finished the command, a house-elf wearing a thick green and gold rag was hurrying back hefting a large turkey that likely weighed more than he did. Its rich aroma made her mouth water.

That elf was shortly followed by another carrying an entire basket of desserts, including more than a few treacle tarts. Suddenly she heard whispers among the elves, something that sounded suspiciously like "Head Girl."

She glanced down at her badge, which they were pointing at. "Is you—?"

"Yes, yes, I am," she said, guessing what their question was.

" 'Tis a great honor!" they cried out. "We is being visited by the Head Girl! Please, you need more, more!" And more elves came rushing out, bearing a cauldron of hearty soup and several trays of fish and sweetmeats.

"It's alright, it's alright," she protested, but they kept coming on.

"Head Girl takes as much as she likes," one of them insisted. "Please, takes as much as you likes. We carries it up to her room, if she wants to have more."

She waved them off, and was mortified to find them nearly in tears when she said thanks. "Head Girl is most kind to say such things! Much thanks to you!" And they bowed and trundled off elsewhere in the kitchens, no doubt preparing more food for the next day or their next night-time visitor. She certainly hoped it wasn't to cook more things for her; she already had enough for a week's worth of dinners in front of her.

Mephistopheles purred as she fed him scraps from dinner. Relieved to have a distraction, she ate her fill and ruffled the cat's hair. She knew she had to go upstairs and see him sooner or later. She wanted to sort out her thoughts now.

But she found it quite impossible. Every time she tried to think of what she would say to him, she kept hearing her own declaration in her head. _"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid."_

She threw her hands up. "Well, Mephy, I guess I'll just have to see what happens," she said. Mephistopheles growled.

"Oh, get on with it. I just fed you, don't be grumpy with me." But apparently he had been offended, because he went slinking off the other way, deeper into the kitchens.

"Hope you know the way out," she said. She wrapped a few treacle tarts into a napkin and made her way back to the entrance. When she closed the door and turned around, she was staring at the face of a perfectly normal still-life painting once again. The pear was quiet and didn't move at all. She sighed and made her way up the stairs, still unsure about what she was going to do.

"Password!" the Fat Lady demanded shrilly when she finally reached the dormitory.

"_Roman de la Neige_," she said tiredly.

"Correct!" The door swung inward and she stepped into the common room. It took her a moment to find him. He usually sat on the chair to the left of the fire, she knew, so she looked for him there first. She thought he might have already gone to bed, but then a shadow shifted up off of the largest couch in the room.

James was lifting himself up off the cushions, his eyes blinking groggily. His crimson robes were more than a little rumpled, and his hair was even messier than usual. He ran a hand through it when he recognized her.

"How'd it go?" he mumbled. Behind him the windows showed only darkness without, and reflected most of the light in the room back in on them. She could see herself standing in the portal, see the flicking tongues of flame that rose from the fireplace. James was coming closer, she realized somewhere, dimly, in the back of her mind.

_I wonder if it'll snow again tomorrow,_ she thought. It would cover over all the footprints from today, make the day feel like some sweet dream blown away with her waking.

She almost took a step back when she saw how close he was. She could see the shadows dancing across his face, the fiery orange that traced his outline from behind and pooled in the lenses of his glasses, the depths of his dark eyes.

"Was it…did it work out alright?" He was speaking with the thick, deep tone he only seemed to use when she was around, as if speaking through a muffler.

"I'm so sorry about what I got you," she blurted. "I thought it'd be funny, I had no idea you'd gone to all the trouble—"

He waved off her apology. "It's great," he said. "Actually, I think it makes me look quite dashing."

Somehow the fact that he didn't seem to see what was wrong with it made her feel even more embarrassed. She wanted to say something more, but then he asked her how the day had went again.

"It was—" She considered how best to say it. She wondered if she should make a stronger apology for what she'd gotten him. His shoulders had stiffened, his whole body tensed as if waiting on her next word. "It's probably been one of the best days of my life," she finally said.

The room was a lot less clear now, blurring in front of her into a cascade of color and shade, like a painting seen from far away. _Oh God, don't cry now._ His face was rising up in her vision and all its edges were being washed away, she wasn't sure why it was getting darker but then she realized her eyes were closing…

When his lips brushed hers it was the gentlest of forays, as light as a breath. Then she felt them again, firmer this time, and without thinking pressed hers against his and parted them ever so slightly. His hand came around and nestled against her hair, holding her close. She reached up and ran her fingers across his cheek. He hadn't shaved that morning; his jawline felt a bit rough against her skin.

And then he was gone, his nose brushing against hers and the cold air was filling the space in front of her. She took a gulp of air, hardly aware that she had been so out of breath. She didn't want to see.

"Lily?" His voice was like an echo, riding across a mountain range and reaching her far away; a promise of something, if only she would reach out and take it.

She opened her eyes. He was watching her anxiously, his right hand poised and trembling as if unsure whether or not to touch her again. She clasped it in her left and drew it to her cheek, the first tear coming down and tracing the crevasses between their fingers.

There seemed like a thousand things to say, that could or needed to be said. Sincerity, sarcasm, gratefulness, all of them welled up in her. _James. Thank you. You never gave up on me, did you? Stubborn ass. I should have seen it sooner. You've given me the best Christmas present I've ever gotten. Guess I was wrong about you, Potter. You've given me my sister back. I think I love you._ _I love you. _She could say it at last, admit it all to herself—both that she cared for him, and how deeply she cared for him. _They were right all along, _she reflected. _I've been the blind one._

But everything important she wanted to say seemed trapped in her throat.

"I brought some treacle tarts," she finally managed, laughing and crying at the same time.


	18. Marauders' End

Chapter Eighteen – Marauders' End

The last days before the new year passed in a heartbeat. She had thought she'd known James fairly well, but quickly found how much she had to learn. He sprinkled a bit of extra sugar in his pumpkin juice in the mornings, as if it was coffee; always took his shoes off at the exact same spot, so he could slip into them in the mornings; always stopped in the middle of a chapter when reading books—"So I need to come back," he explained.

He found out a few of her quirks as well, and good-naturedly teased her about them. She always scribbled a list of things she thought she'd have to do the next day, so she wouldn't forget when she slept; always read the_ Daily Prophet_ starting from the last few pages, since it seemed that's where the truly important stories were relegated; was ticklish on the back of her neck.

And, of course, together they managed to clean the kitchen out of treacle tarts. She occasionally felt guilty, wondering if the house-elves were spending extra time baking more for them.

There was also so much to find out about each other. James told her stories about what it was like growing up in a Wizarding family—"You got used to coming downstairs and seeing the cookie batter stirring itself, but if you touched, the spoon would float up and smack your hand"—and she told him about hers. He still adamantly refused to believe that the British pound system was better than the Galleons they themselves used, although she insisted it made more sense.

"Did you have any brothers or sisters growing up?" she asked once, embarrassed to realize she'd never known if he had siblings. She was pretty sure there weren't any younger Potters, since they would have entered Hogwarts by now, but maybe someone who had already graduated…It was a strange thought, someone seeing James as a younger brother.

"Nope, only child. Do you have any? Besides Petunia, I mean."

She shook her head. "Just the two of us. We grew up in a small town too, so there weren't many kids our age. It was really just the two of us."

He shook his head in astonishment. "Seems like you couldn't do a lot of things, then."

She shrugged. "We had make-believe friends."

He guffawed. "Care to introduce me?"

"Not when I know you're going to be rude," she said tartly.

"Oh, come on, I'll play nice…"

It turned out that he had actually had a somewhat similar childhood. "Sirius and I knew each other before coming to school," he explained, "and since we were the same age we always spent time together. Our families were…well, not the closest of friends, but civil, at least. I think Sirius's mother always disapproved of our friendship slightly, hoped Sirius would take after some of the other family friends."

"He's always been kind of a black sheep, hasn't he?"

James nodded. "That family is incredible. And not in a good way either, you wouldn't believe this talking portrait of his great-grandfather."

"Why not? Is it like the Fat Lady?"

He coughed. "Like a wolf is like a lap-dog, I suppose. The first time I visited their big old mansion, it took one look at me and said, 'The blood's good, but you're a traitor at heart.' "

"I've seen the crest," she said, referring to the Black family arms and their motto, _Toujours pur._ Regulus Black had a certain habit of flashing it around his fellow Slytherins, but half of them seemed entirely too obsessed with their blood.

He nodded. "You know, that's what did it for him. A year or so back, he tore the thing off his robes and told them he wouldn't wear it. Next day, my parents were fitting out a bedroom for him."

"And I thought it hard having a Muggle family," she said.

For so many years she'd felt like a misfit everywhere she went; at home, her parents were proud but couldn't truly appreciate what she did, and at school she always wondered how many of the other students disdained her—or worse, pitied her—because they knew she was going back to "the Muggle life" when school was out.

When she confessed those feelings one day to James, however, his face registered only astonishment. "People look up to you, Lily."

"Now that I'm Head Girl, sure, but—"

"No, I mean, for the longest time. Even since first-year. Hell, I've been using you as my best counter-example whenever anyone starts spouting off that pureblood nonsense. You basically take a load of dynamite to their theory, you know."

Then it had been her turn to be surprised, and even slightly flattered. "Really?"

"Sure, and I haven't lost an argument yet. Normally I go with something like, 'Do better than her in any class and then come back and talk to me.' " For an instant, his grin had a feral quality. "No one's come back yet."

She also got the secret of their Animagical transformation out of him, which took quite a bit of explaining and consumed the better part of their last weekend before school resumed. It was touching when he spoke of how the Marauders had originally formed, and how they decided to go through with the change.

"Remus was petrified to tell us, he probably thought we'd be afraid of him if we knew. Actually we ended up figuring it out…one of those lessons on lycanthropy in Defense Against the Dark Arts, right?"

She had remembered those, surely. The week after had happened to coincide with the full moon, and James had stormed into class wearing a massive wolf costume. Alyssa had actually fainted, if she recalled correctly. She reminded him of that prank, and he smiled.

"Yeah, I felt guilty about that afterwards, though, when I knew about Remus. Anyways, we told him we knew and not to make a big deal about it, and that's when we started doing research on the whole Animagus thing."

He took her through their second and third years, where they'd done as much research as they could in the school library. Apparently in the summer after third year they'd visited one of the few registered Animagi in Britain, convincing her that it was for a school project. She'd managed to give them quite a bit of detail on what they should have read between the lines in the book, although they were short on specific procedure.

Meanwhile, though, Peter had been on vacation with his parents in Bulgaria. He came back with a treasure trove of information detailing the process itself. The laws there were considerably more lax about Animagi—he claimed that hunting was forbidden there because it was too uncertain whether you would kill a fellow wizard.

They had tried through most of fourth and fifth years, although they never successfully executed the spells. Finally, they had hit upon it in the summer, waiting for their O.W.L. results.

"The problem was we were picking animals we wanted to be, not really animals that would be purely useful. The thing with the spells was that your purpose had to be perfectly aligned with the creature you chose. So Sirius and I changed into something large enough to hold Lupin back, and Peter changed into a rat so he could get through to the Whomping Willow."

"So you didn't want to be an elk?" She had actually rather liked him in that form.

"Well, I like it now," he said.

"What did you originally want to be?"

"That's a story for another day, perhaps," he said, a mysterious smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Letting him change the subject, they discussed the idea of her becoming an Animagus.

"That way," he joked, "you could go to Azkaban with all the rest of us if we're ever caught."

It hadn't exactly been the best way to encourage her, and in the end she said she'd consider it. "But after all," she added, "if I could only do it if it's really necessary, then I'd have to find some purpose to serve, wouldn't I?"

He nodded. "How about a lion?"

She glanced askance at him. "Now why would I _need _to be a lion?" she wondered pointedly.

"Well, Gryffindor's always needed a mascot or something at Quidditch matches…" She interrupted him by smacking a pillow into his face, although she couldn't help the laughter.

-000-

School started up again after the holidays, and the next few weeks were a whirlwind of activity more intense than anything she had ever experienced. The build-up to N.E.W.T.'s was now beginning in earnest, and she had never seen the teachers assigning so much work. Half her time was spent with Alice or Gwyn in the library, with Jen and Alyssa sometimes joining them when they felt like lugging a large stack of textbooks away from their common rooms.

"I feel like we're all becoming hermits," Alice confessed.

"And the walls of our hovel are built with library books," Gwyn added, surveying the stacks that were indeed fast enclosing them.

Whatever free time she had was usually spent with James, which at least served to alleviate some of her anxiety. She was grateful he wasn't one for snogging in public, however; she was sure that Gwyn was waiting to catch them together and take pictures to preserve it for posterity. _Or just so she can always have visual aids to support her gloating_, Lily thought, with a hint of amusement.

The great irony, she reflected, was the fact that Gwyn and Alice had thought she was going out with James since their first Hogsmeade weekend, so she couldn't even tell them the news. All this meant that she was at a loss to explain the sudden up-tick in her mood, although they probably just thought that her and James's relationship was deepening.

When the Marauders—all except Lupin, of course—reconvened at the start of the second term, it was to a series of surprising announcements. The first, and surely most unexpected, was Sirius saying that he felt that their group should no longer be devoted to making trouble for the school. Lily must have been hearing wrong, because she thought she heard him say something like, "We've had a good run, but we have to grow up sooner or later, and there are more serious things to take care of now."

He also hinted at a larger project he was getting involved in, but would only tell them that he wanted to "make sure" of something before revealing it to them.

To her surprise, she ended up being the one who brought the most news to the meeting. She explained her experiments with the Wolfsbane Potion in more detail to both Sirius and Peter, who hadn't known much about what she and James were doing.

"And here I thought it was snogging in the reference section all this time," Sirius mused. "But say, where did you find the original anyways?"

She hesitated, because if she revealed where she'd discovered the formula there would also be a fair amount of explaining to do about what she had been doing down in the dungeons. After considering it carefully, though, she decided they needed to know everything. It turned out to be quite a good thing, too.

"You mean Dazed Damocles's office?" James asked with astonishment. "That crazy coot? You never told me that's where you found it…"

It turned out the office was the hidden escape-hole for a Potions professor who had taught at the school before Slughorn, a fact which excited Lily.

"I'll write him," she said eagerly. "Maybe he's discovered more since he left, maybe we can work it out together."

She could tell that they weren't as optimistic. _Well, he must have the nickname 'Dazed' for a good reason_, she thought sardonically. Still, they agreed it was worth a try.

She also described her suspicions about Michael Avus, which caused Sirius to frown. "Yeah, he _did_ tell me he was always going abroad. That is strange, hm." Both angles were judged worth investigating, and it seemed best to split up the duties. Sirius said he would take over trying to find out if Avus was doing anything suspicious, and Peter was assigned to help him. Somehow it didn't seem to be a question that James would be helping Lily on her half.

Lily penned the letter to Damocles Belby the next day, and sent it out with an owl during the next Hogsmeade weekend. This time, she hadn't minded spending time in Madam Puddifoot's quite as much. And was doubly glad because they didn't have to visit the Hog's Head.

About a month into the new term, they received a letter which raised their spirits. Lupin had written them from a town in Luxembourg. By the time James had brought her the parchment, it was already nearly flat, having been read so many times.

_Dear Friends,_

_I hope the term has started well for you, and that the N.E.W.T. work isn't killing you. I have an inkling of how difficult it is, since Dumbledore encouraged me to take my school books along and keep learning magic regardless (this led to a somewhat unfortunate incident involving a herd of sheep suddenly turning purple with a few Muggles around, but that's neither here nor there). Still, I imagine the teachers must be giving you loads._

_I am doing very well, and I hope you aren't feeling too sorry for me. With Dumbledore's letters of introduction, I've met quite a few of my own kind scattered around all over the place. Cities, small hamlets, even in the mountains. They have been entirely hospitable towards me, and I am beginning to see that even with my condition there is plenty of life to be lived. But I suppose that's something I ought to have learned at school, during our time together._

_I'd tell you to write back, but I have no idea where I shall be when this letter finds you. So I'll only make a tentative apology in case my gifts failed to arrive for you this Christmas. Any amends needed can be made later, no doubt._

_Oh, and before I forget. I found a delightful little pub in Amsterdam. You wouldn't believe the name…_Marauder's End!_ It's a nice place, the best butterbeer you'll find anywhere (and I confess, since they allowed it I had a bit of firewhisky as well). I threw a picture in with this letter. I'm the one between the two good-looking witches. Some day I entertain the dream that we can all have a drink there together, to old times and those to come._

_With hope that this letter finds you well,_

_Remus Lupin_

James showed her the photo, which made her smile. Remus was as healthy as he had appeared in ages; there was a renewed vigor in his eyes, and his skin had bronzed slightly. She guessed he'd been along the Mediterranean shore before swinging back up to the Netherlands.

Reassured that Lupin wasn't agonizing over the days until he could return to school, Lily let herself relax. They hunkered down to wait out the last few weeks of winter, and a return letter from Damocles Belby.


	19. The Enemy Within

Chapter Nineteen – The Enemy Within

They still hadn't heard back from Belby by the time the next dueling lesson was scheduled. The seventh-years had the Great Hall from one to three, and Lily made sure that everyone who knew what she suspected of their instructor would attend. She had also let Alice tell Gwyn, in case anything were to happen during the lesson.

Nothing could ruin her good mood at the moment, though. Petunia had just written her for the first time in as long as she could remember. She'd spent the previous night reading and re-reading the letter, learning a little more about her sister.

In all honesty, she wasn't worried about him taking any action—especially not in human form, when he could safely conceal his condition—though she had a niggling suspicion that Sirius might do something rash or foolhardy.

Gwyn had certainly agreed with her about Sirius. "If anyone was going to kill an instructor during a dueling lesson, it'd have been Sirius."

"Even if he didn't think the guy was a werewolf," Alice added.

The three of them were some of the first to enter the hall, and made sure to be close to the key in the circle where Avus usually stood during lessons. What was left of the seventh-year students showed up, in groups of three or four, a few straggling in one by one as the time grew nearer.

Finally, Avus himself strode through the doors, cloak swirling around his tall frame and billowing behind. It snapped in several students' faces, she noticed, but he didn't seem concerned about that.

Taking his customary position, he drew his wand and pressed it to his throat. "It's good to see you're all here," he boomed, words echoing along the length of the hall. "This will be, unfortunately, my last lesson with you."

A ripple spread through the crowd, and heads turned as people began whispering to each other. "I'll soon have taught y—" His voice abruptly faltered, and his gaze shot towards the doors. Lily followed his eyes and watched as a shadow lurched across the room and took a place by the wall.

_Bringfer_, she thought. _Good, maybe this means he knows what Avus is, wants to keep an eye on him._ The Ministry hunter seemed to be spending a lot of time examining his hands and picking at his skin.

"I'll soon have taught you all I know," Avus went on. "Or as much as can be taught, at any rate."

He strode into the center of the circle, light from the windows dappling him in shades of aqua, pale green, shards of crimson.

"This last lesson," he announced, "is about facing not the enemy who brandishes the wand, but about the enemy within." It was all Lily could do to stop herself from snorting. Avus would know all about the enemy within, that was sure. A survey of her fellow students made it clear most of them were thoroughly confused.

Hans Patterson finally spoke up. "We're not likely to be hit by an _Expelliarmus_ spell shot off by the enemy within, are we?" A few chuckles followed, even from the Gryffindor side of the room.

Sirius and James were standing together at the opposite end of the circle. She could see James mouthing, _He's not bad, actually_, while Sirius adopted a skeptical expression.

"True, my boy, true. But it is often said that the greatest heroes—aye, and the greatest villains—are never undone by others." He didn't give Patterson long to puzzle out that statement. "You see, the only way they can be destroyed is if they beat themselves. For each of us contains within our hearts the seeds of victory…but also of defeat."

"Those who seem the most powerful," he continued, "have the most glaring examples of both aspects. They have the strength in them to bend the world to their will, or to tear themselves apart." Again, Lily was struck by how much his speech sounded like a confession. _What's tearing you apart on the inside? _she asked silently. _Or will we only get to see that during the next full moon?_

"Learn to master your own weaknesses. They'll always be there, you can never make them go away. You could as easily wish away your heart, so that no knife could stab it." She glanced over at James; he was listening rather intently to Avus's speech. Lily wondered if he was thinking the same thing she was.

"So what are we supposed to do about it?" Patterson asked again, somewhat haughtily. "I say just forget about it." A few of his friends nodded agreement, especially Percy Baddock, who was standing at his side.

"_Boy_," Avus snarled, striding forward. His movement was so sudden that Hans took a step back. "I have the measure of you right now. You dismiss things very easily, Mr. Patterson. Don't think that's not a flaw. In battle, your enemy may use spells that have no visible effect, do you no immediate harm. You'll quickly forget these were even incanted, much as a lesser chess player forgets the moves a master makes in advance, to set up his defeat. And when the jaws of the trap close around you, Mr. Patterson…when you finally realize that everything you have dismissed as irrelevant was, in fact, _exactly_ what you should have paid the most attention to…well, I hope you have a snide comment then."

Hans had turned white, and wouldn't meet the man in the eye. Lily felt enraged, shocked at how he dared to make threats even now. _Could he be more obvious?_

"Who understands the point of what I'm trying to say? Anyone? Eh? Any volunteers?"

A hush fell, and then one hand raised in the air. "I think I see what you're saying, Mr. Avus," James said.

"Well? Go on then."

"You said your weakness is like your heart," he said. "You can't change the fact that you have one. But if you know where and what it is, you can protect it, shield it, turn it away when your enemy tries to strike at it."

"Ah, good! Good, Mr. Potter! And you understand then, why this lesson is the most important of all?"

"I think I do, Mr. Avus." He gave the instructor a searching look and held his gaze intently. "Because we all have our weaknesses, don't we?"

Avus was the one to break the eye contact. "Very right, Mr. Potter. What Mr. Potter grasps—pay attention, the rest of you. The real key to fighting isn't better spellwork, it's finding out exactly where that weakness is. To stop them from using ours, and to hurt them where it hurts most." His attention turned back to James.

"Your wand, Mr. Potter." Confusion crossed James's face for a second.

"What?"

"Out with your _wand_, Mr. Potter, and into the circle." Avus was striding across, taking a place on the opposite end only a few feet from Lily. _No_, she suddenly thought. _Oh no. He's challenging him to a duel._

"Do you think you have the measure of me, Mr. Potter?" James was stepping into the ring, though with all her heart Lily was silently urging him to walk away, to refuse to fight. _If Avus knows that we suspect him…what if he knew we were there in the dungeons, what if he just let us go?_ She didn't know how easy it would be for him to claim that he had killed a student on accident, but it might be easier than fighting them all together again—even in his transformed state.

The Ministry Hunter leaned against the wall, but only seemed to be watching with a sort of half-amused curiosity. _He can't let this happen, if he knows he'll stop it._

James drew his wand. "I think I might have an idea or two," he admitted.

"And what do you think my weakness is, Mr. Potter?" He was peering intently at James, head cocked to the side. His wand was out as well, a short, spare piece of ebony that was polished to a fine sheen and glinted dangerously.

"Why, over-confidence, of course." James brushed a hand through his hair, and there was sweat on his brow. _He's nervous._ "I know the feeling, Mr. Avus."

"Yes, Mr. Potter, somehow I get the sense you do." Both their wands were at the ready now, and the tension in the room was palpable. Sirius was inches from the ring, his hands folded into his own robes. Lily would have bet the world that he had his wand ready at the slightest provocation.

She wondered if anyone else could tell how nervous—even frightened—James was at the moment. Few others knew what they suspected, of course, and even fewer could read the signs in him. He always put on a brave show…but she could see how firmly he was gripping his wand. Some might have taken it as a sign that he wasn't afraid, but she knew better. When he was relaxed, he held his wand in a loose grip, the better to move quickly during complex spellwork.

She wanted to warn him to be careful, but she could hardly say it out loud. Then Avus would know for sure, she couldn't take that chance. _But what…_

Suddenly she blurted out, "Hey, Potter. Better not die on me before Valentine's Day." Beside her, Alice's mouth was agape, and Gwyn was giggling. She also heard a few sniggers from the rest of them, and she couldn't keep the blush out of her cheeks. But still, it was the best she could come up with at the time.

He spared a glance at her. _I think he gets the message._ Now he realized how serious this might possibly be.

The first spells had shot off before Lily even realized either of them had bowed. They were also as easily shielded, although the unique magic of the dueling circle vanished their ricochets before they could fly out into the audience.

Lily focused all her attention on the duel, watching every movement of their feet, every curl of their wands. James was _smiling_, she realized, a gleeful grin that lit up his eyes and even seemed to be raising the hair on his head. He and Sirius enjoyed the rush of dueling in a way she never would or could.

He was in his element now. This duel was moving much faster than the one between him and Sirius. They had learned and improved throughout the year, clearly. His wand was moving in a blinding swirl of burgundy, accented by whatever swirling light was flying off its tip.

It didn't take long to see how powerfully magical Avus was. He certainly had done little if anything to exaggerate his ability in previous lessons. His _Protego_ Charm in particular was quite potent; several times James attempted silent curses only to find himself hurled backward by Avus's block.

If anything, it was his superior reflexes that were saving him. His blocks were clean, but they weren't fast enough, and half the spells only missed him because he could duck out of the way.

"_Serpensortia_!" he shouted at one particularly desperate moment. The hissing snake did manage to distract Avus long enough for him to push himself off the ground, although the instructor only had to carelessly flick his wand to the side to send the serpent sailing off before it vanished in mid-air.

"That's a beggar's trick," Avus said. "Come on, you can do better." Lily hoped James wouldn't allow himself to be too angered by Avus's taunts. She guessed that Avus's strategy was to force James into the first mistake. _He knows that James has the same weakness, he's just trying to find a different way to exploit it.._

He was fast tiring, though, and would have to make an end of it soon. He tried the same _Accio Chair_ trick he'd pulled on Sirius, but Avus anticipated and side-stepped it. Lily thought it had all been wasted, but when Avus shot off his next series of spells—including a Blinding Jinx that came within a hand's breadth of James's head—James used the body of the chair to block them physically.

It exploded into splinters and wood-dust between the combatants, and in the haze Lily felt a sense of triumph when she realized that Avus had lost him. Instead of clearing the air, he dropped his wand to his side and laughed, almost manically.

"Very good, Potter, even if you didn't manage to knock me down like your friend—"

Then Lily caught sight of James again, slipping to the side, his wand up and pointed straight at Avus. _He got the jump on him, now he can disarm_…

"_Lupine Visioso_!" James cried, and a ghostly vision of a massive wolf burst forward from his wand, cantering towards Avus. _What—why—_

The instructor's head spun around and his eyes bulged when he saw the thing approaching it. A hideous snarl twisted his face as he raised his wand, and Lily didn't even have time to scream.

"_Expelliarmus_!"

James's wand took a lazy arc out past the circle, clattering when it hit the floor. Avus still had his wand at the ready, and Lily was already stepping forward and drawing…

Bringfer was there faster than she could have imagined. His frame towered over them all, even Avus, and he reached a hand out and patted James on the shoulder. "Quite a fight you gave him, young man. You'll be quite the wizard one day. Yes, quite."

His thick body was clearly shielding James away from the Auror, and one hand dropped casually into a large fur pouch near his waist.

Behind him, Avus had hesitated and lowered his wand. Lily breathed a sigh of relief. She knew with Bringfer's intercession, it was over. Avus couldn't dare make it look like some kind of accident now, done while still in the middle of a duel.

He drew himself back towards the key. "Yes, excellent work, Mr. Potter," he said, echoing Bringfer's words. It seemed as if the collective breath of the audience was let out at that moment, for a huge soughing sound filled the hall.

"If you wish to practice now, the hall is yours for the remainder of the time." His face was drawn and tired. _Almost like Remus, afterwards,_ she thought.

Bringfer was already stepping out of the ring, and James after him. He looked more than a little shaken, and Lily wanted to ask him why he'd used that spell. _What good was it, anyone who understood Illusion Charms could tell it wouldn't hurt them…_

"Also, I would urge each of you afterwards, not only to practice your spellwork, but to look inside yourselves," Avus said. She was beginning to hate the sound of that voice.

"Search for your weakness. Know it. And guard it like nothing else, because it'll be your death if you don't."


	20. Slugfest

Chapter Twenty – Slugfest

The invitations were left in spotless white stationary envelopes, and the parchment inside had the four House seals quartered against a flower embossment. Lily guessed that Professor Slughorn had finally remembered his promise to have another get together for the Slug Club.

_Why'd he have to choose Valentine's Day, though,_ she thought glumly. She had been looking forward to spending the day with James. They would still spend it together, of course, but Slughorn's party was not quite how she'd envisioned them passing the time.

James clearly was thinking along the same lines when she found him in the common room, because he did not act at all thrilled. "Do you think we can get out of it?" he asked.

"It won't be that bad," she answered, as much for herself as for him. Slughorn had picked a day when they didn't have classes on purpose, she was sure. "Do you want me to RSVP for you?"

He nodded grudgingly, and then said stiffly, "I wonder who Snape's date is. Maybe Slughorn."

Lily sighed. If there was one thing she'd never get about James, it was his intense dislike for Severus Snape. She had finally asked him if he had tried apologizing to Severus earlier in the year, and he'd admitted that he kept putting off "until it really seemed kind of pointless." After she'd given him a glare he'd added, "He's not going to accept it anyways!"

Some things just went too far back to change. Lily just wished it could have all been different somehow. Merlin knew that she and Severus didn't have the best of relationships either. They had been friends, once, and quite close before coming to Hogwarts. But the distance between them had grown immeasurably wide in the intervening years. In a way, she couldn't help pitying him—largely friendless, cold, haughty, and overly proud. But for all that, he had his own intelligence and power, and of course there was the secret he held back from his Slytherin friends that she knew about.

_Yes, it all comes back to that, doesn't it? Some things go too far back, and can't be changed._

However, the only thing she said was, "Don't worry about Snape's date so much."

"Oh," he said, wrapping his arms around her from behind. She could feel his breath soft against her ear, tickling. "Are you trying to say I should be worrying more about my own?"

"I don't recall saying I was going with you," she teased him. "How do you know I haven't found someone better?"

He adopted a mock-hurt face. "Who?"

"Mephistopheles," she said, trying to keep a straight face. James rolled his eyes and sighed theatrically.

"It's always the one you never suspect!"

Despite all her joking, she did end up sending one RSVP back to Slughorn for the both of them, and any thoughts or worries about his party vanished quickly enough behind a mountainous pile of books. One new moon had already passed without her finding anything interesting enough to come up with a new admixture, but she wanted to give it another go this time. The needle was in the haystack, just waiting for her.

Unfortunately, it was quite a needle, and the collected wisdom of millennia of potions-mixers was quite a haystack. If nothing else, at least, she was assured of passing her Potions N.E.W.T. with flying colors.

The_ Daily Prophet_ spurred her on. It was now being officially reported that two other people had gone missing in the surrounding area, one from Hogsmeade, and one a hiker who had been exploring the mountains around the school. Another two victims to haunt her.

She wondered whether Sirius and Peter were making any progress running Avus down. She hadn't heard anything from them in some time; the last time she'd asked, they'd only said that he hadn't shown up on the Marauder's Map while they were watching. _Wouldn't he show up if he was coming here?_

"Maybe James spooked him with that wolf illusion," Peter had speculated. "Or he could just be avoiding the school." Lily sincerely doubted that. It had been a risky move, even after James had explained that he hadn't wanted to win the duel, only to see if Avus reacted dramatically to the sight.

None of these problems had seen fit to go away by the day of the Slug Club gathering. She had gotten James a Deluxe Broom Maintenance Kit, along with a new pair of the best Chaser Sure-Grip Gloves, as presents, hoping to make up a bit for the silly hat that had been his Christmas present (he actually wore it from time to time—to embarrass her, she speculated).

When he met her, though, the first thing he gave her was a small slip of paper. In his neat handwriting, it said, _Since you told me not to get you anything from Honeydukes, I guessed you didn't want anything for Valentine's Day._

"That's not what I meant!" she protested.

"Oh, well then, in that case." He pulled out a box of Chocolate Cauldrons, specially done up for Valentine's Day with a sort of pink mist seething out of them.

"What's in there, some kind of love potion?" she asked suspiciously. He raised his hands in protest.

"I'm just kidding," she said. Then, giving him a quick peck on the tip of his nose, she added, "It's not like you'd need to use one anyways." That made him smile broadly.

She popped one in her mouth. "Wow, these are good." After offering him one, she asked whether he'd liked his gifts. He kiddingly told her that if they hadn't had Slughorn's party, he probably would have been out on the pitch working in the new equipment.

"And before I forget—" he added. "A little bit of sparkly can't be bad, can it?" He reached down one sleeve and pulled out a delicate silver-stranded necklace with a milky-white stone hanging in a simple gold encasing.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

"It's something my aunt gave me," he said.

She cracked a grin. "Your aunt gave you this necklace?"

"Not to wear, genius." He slipped behind her and clasped it on. "It looks really nice with those robes." She muttered her thanks, and he went on. "It's supposed to have some interesting properties…here, feel the stone."

Wondering what it could do, she touched it cautiously with the tip of a finger and gasped. It seemed to be pulsing slowly and warmly against her skin. When she let it down again, she could feel it on her chest as well, although softer.

"What is it?" she wondered. He gazed at her intently, then finally spoke.

"If you love someone," he explained, "it's supposed to mimic their heartbeat." She colored rosily when he said that, and he glanced away.

"That's why my aunt gave it to me. It was cold as any old stone for her."

"Was she widowed?" she asked softly.

His laughter was like a sudden gale, forceful yet light. "No, my uncle was quite healthy at the time. Still kicking like a horse to this day."

"Oh." There didn't seem to be much to say after that, but he only shrugged.

"Come on, let's get going if you're sure you don't want to ditch this."

"James—"

"I didn't suggest it, I'm just saying, theoretically it would be possible for us to still pretend we forgot or—"

He caught sight of the warning in her eyes and said, "Alright, it was only a thought." Yet he seemed surprisingly cheerful, offering her his arm.

"For a guy who seems so eager to get out of this, you look rather…accepting," she said. They'd reached the door, pausing before entering.

"Well, it's the first one of these things we've had where I've gotten to bring the date I want." And with that, he swung open the door.

Slughorn's office was elegant, ornate, and peculiarly spacious. Every time she had been in here she had always remarked upon this fact, not knowing if he insisted on having the largest room available to teachers or if he had simply enchanted the room to appear that way. The room was extravagantly and even garishly done up today, every shade of pink having its chance to be put on display. Ribbons covered the walls from floor to ceiling, and the ceiling itself was a shifting morass of pink fog that had to have been magically produced. It swirled like an absurd storm cloud above their heads.

"Ah, and the Head Boy and Head Girl join us at last!" Slughorn's voice boomed across the room, and Lily glimpsed him stroking his bushy mustache happily.

Hans Patterson—whose aunt was perhaps the world's premier unicorn breeder—was standing at his elbow, with Gwyn holding his arm. Lily was surprised to see her friend, but pulled James in their direction.

Knowing it would be a bit awkward to say something about Sam Sawbridge, whom Gwyn had been dating (so far as Lily knew), she asked idly about Quidditch. This immediately blew up into an argument about who would win the last match of the year, which was the Gryffindor-Slytherin game that would decide who got the Cup.

Patterson was fiercely proud of his team, but after talking to him for a few minutes Lily recognized that James's evaluation had been accurate. _"The fairest Slytherin," he'd called him. "Merciless with a Bludger, but that's a different story._ Hans was the one of the only Slytherins who wasn't pureblood, and he didn't make any pretensions to it either.

He and Gwyn were good-naturedly exchanging bets, and as she listened to their banter Lily realized they were probably just good friends. They certainly didn't sound interested in each other while Gwyn was declaring that if Gryffindor didn't beat Slytherin she would happily drink a concoction of pumpkin juice and green tea, sprinkled with a bit of chili pepper.

In the end, the bets were settled so that if Gryffindor won, Hans would have to wear a Gryffindor jersey around school for the next week. If Gryffindor won by more than a hundred points, he would further have to apologize to all members of the House for "daring to believe they stood a chance against them." On the other hand, if Slytherin won, Gwyn was in for the nasty concoction that Patterson referred to as Dragonsbreath, and James would be obligated to come to no less than three classes without pants.

Afterwards, Hans had excused himself, and Lily and James had drifted off and found themselves in an odd conversation with a girl named Joanna Morgan. Most of the talk centered on Sirius Black, and it ended with Joanna walking off with a somewhat disappointed expression.

"What was that all about?" Lily wondered.

"I think she's been interested in Sirius for awhile," James answered. "Too bad he's going out with Dorcas."

"She's one of the girls that was nominated to be a Hufflepuff Prefect, isn't she?"

"Yeah, that's her." He had been taking care of most of that process, Lily realized guiltily. She wasn't even sure who the fifth-year Gryffindor Prefects would be next year.

"It's hard picking them," he said. "I mean, all my instincts tell me to go for the more rebellious ones…"

He held up his hand to forestall her comment. "But I swear I'm picking people who are as least like me as possible. At least, at that age."

She was laughing while she said, "For the sake of Hogwarts, I have to believe that's a good thing."

Slughorn found them next. Besides referring to them constantly as "the happy couple," he was relatively pleasant to talk to. After insisting they try a few of the hors d'oeuvres that were circulating, he set about introducing them to a few guests he'd brought in from outside the school. Two were noted Quidditch players from the Chudley Cannons, and James was more than happy to talk flying with them.

Another was a somber woman with a square face who currently headed the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. Lily found herself wondering how far Slughorn's influence extended in the magical community. Sometimes it did seem as if he knew everyone who mattered in the world.

"I think these two are destined to be Aurors, Marge," he told the woman. "They have too much talent not to. Maybe if you really make a good pitch they'd join up with your side of things though…"

This led to a ten-minute run-down of exactly what the Magical Law Enforcement Squad did. In the end, what they did sounded too much like being an assassin, although she seemed to prefer the term "Hit Wizards."

Just as they managed to extract themselves from that uncomfortable experience, they ran into the last person Lily hoped to see. Severus Snape was decked out in his customary black robes, which served to set off the unhealthy pallor of his face even more intensely. It didn't help that the entire room around him was an explosion of pink, either.

"Snape," James spat.

"Potter," he said, his voice almost a snarl. "You'll have to excuse me, I wanted to enjoy myself today…not talk to blood traitors and their Mudblood girlfriends."

James was scarlet and she thought she saw a vein bulging in his neck. "Thanks for your consideration, Severus, we'll be on our way then—" She tried to tug James off to the side, but he shrugged her off.

Snape gave her a look. "I suppose you've chosen this one to replace your other friend. He has bad blood of a different sort, I suppose…" A flash of confusion crossed Lily's mind. _How did he know about Lupin?_

She put a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him. He turned away for a second, and she fleetingly hoped they could get away without anything else…

"Alright, then, Snape. I'll let you get back to your date…wait, where is she?"

Now it was Snape's turn to look furious as James went on. "I thought I saw you come in alone. Invite a ghost to the party? Tell me, was she dead already when you asked her, or did she do it because she knew she had to go with you?"

"_James_!" she cried out, half a chastisement and half a warning. Snape's hand had plunged into his robes, but before he had a chance to draw his wand, James had tackled him bodily.

The two of them thudded heavily into a table, Severus wrenching him to the side and then flipping him entirely. Of course, this only gave James a chance to smash his elbow into Snape's nose. Lily heard a sickening _snap_ which reminded her of the sound of a twig crunching underfoot, and then they were being torn apart by a few bystanders, more rushing in between them.

"_What is the meaning of this_?!" Slughorn's voice cut through the sounds of the scuffle. James and Snape were about as far apart from each other as the room could accommodate, which was saying something. Gregory Morgan and Hans Patterson were holding James down, while Severus was being calmed by Percy Baddock and Frank Longbottom.

"Snape, Potter." Slughorn's voice was deadly sharp. "Up here, now. Make one move at each other and it'll be your end at Hogwarts." The two of them shrugged off their restrainers and came forward.

"Snape, get up to the hospital wing, you look like you have a red mustache," he said. James grinned, but Slughorn quickly ended his amusement. "Back to Gryffindor Tower, Potter. Stay there until Professor McGonagall comes to speak with you, I'll let her know. And you'll have detention until the end of the term, Sundays at five. And twenty points from Gryffindor."

"But Snape—" he began angrily.

"Do you want fifty, Potter?" Lily took James by the arm and started pulling him towards the door. This time he didn't resist. As they were leaving the room, however, she heard him say, "There'll be twenty from Slytherin as well. Ridiculous, simply ridiculous." _Well, fair's fair_, Lily admitted to herself.

James was still seething as they rode a moving staircase. "James, you really shouldn't have—"

"Why not?" he raged. "He was happy that Lupin got kicked out! And you heard what he called you—God, I should have broken something worse than the nose just for that!"

She laid a hand on his chest. His heart was pounding, and with a start she realized that the stone pressed to her collarbone was matching pace.

"James, I know I've told you before, you can't stop people from saying that. And I don't need you to," she said sternly. His chest strained against her hand, as if tensing for a fight…but then all the energy seemed to go out of him. He seemed to shrink down all at once, quite small in the robes that enfolded him.

"I know," he said at last. "I shouldn't have done that. He just gets…ugh, _right under_ my skin."

"He knows what your weakness is," she told him.

"What do you mean?"

"You seemed to understand perfectly well when you were fighting Avus," she said. "Go for their weakest point. Yours is here." She pointed at his heart. "He's getting to you through the people you care about."

James looked strangely thoughtful as they made their way back the common room. When they entered he sighed tiredly. "I'm sorry. For ruining our Valentine's Day, I mean." He sounded defeated, morose.

"No, I should have listened to you, it would have been better to skip out on that party."

When that didn't cheer him up, she added, "At least it wasn't a total loss."

He took the bait there. "Huh?"

"Loved it when you made Snape eat your elbow. He had this look on his face right before you got him, it was priceless."

He laughed then, and wrapped her up in his arms. "You're amazing, you know."

"Of course I do," she said before he bent down and kissed her, and for a few moments everything seemed to have gone perfectly that day.

"Hey, maybe I don't have to be here when McGonagall shows up…"


	21. The Order of the Phoenix

Chapter Twenty-One – The Order of the Phoenix

The passing of another new moon found Lily at an undeniable low point. Despite all the research she had put into the Wolfsbane Potion it was still as hopeless as ever. Moreover, much as James tried to help her, he was becoming increasingly unavailable. He had doubled Quidditch practices—"Slytherin will _not_ beat the team as long as I'm Captain"—and had to serve his detentions with Slughorn besides.

Evidently these were an odd affair that consisted of him ordering Slughorn's collection of delicacies, including his wines, liquors, and crystallized pineapple boxes. "In reverse order of date bought, and then by country of origin, alphabetical," he complained. "I never knew a man could own that much pineapple."

After two weeks, however, James had finished with everything Slughorn had in the office. Lily wasn't sure if he was trying to be nice or had been told by McGonagall that he was being too harsh on James, but he let him off the hook for the rest of the year. Somehow, though, Lily doubted it was McGonagall; when she had barged into the common room that day she had blistered James so angrily Lily had worried he would be stripped of his title as Head Boy.

The strangest thing of all was the fact that Slughorn didn't send him away empty-handed. He gave James an untouched bottle of firewhisky, as a "parting gift" before sending him on his way. That was one they really couldn't puzzle out. James had certainly served his fair share of detentions, but never before had a teacher concluded the punishment by making him a present.

Lily knew she wasn't getting anywhere. Finally, after one particularly grueling stretch when she had spent two straight sleepless nights in the library, she decided to throw her hands up. _At least for a little bit._ The week's classes had just finished, and outside everything indicated they were on the verge of spring.

She found Alice and Gwyn up in the girls' room and forced them to go outside with her. "Really, Lily," Gwyn had protested, "you're hardly one to talk about how bad it is to lock yourself inside without any sunshine!"

Shushing her, Lily had practically dragged them out to the lake. With the sun shining it was reasonably warm, and snow had long since given way to thick, matted grass. The three of them lay under the beech tree, and Lily looked up at the first buds tentatively peeking their heads out into the light. The air was bracing in a brisk sort of way, with the smell of freshly cracked seeds and soil still chilled by melting ice. White clouds, not gray, drifted across the sky once again.

"I just can't figure out what I'm doing wrong with this Transfiguration," Gwyn was saying, frustration creeping into her tone.

Lily looked over and watched her turning a leaf in her fingers.

"I'd guess you need to pull down sharper after you reach the peak," she suggested. Gwyn tried it, and the leaf seemed to inflate into a green and yellow circlet.

"I was trying to go for a gold look," she said in a bemused sort of way, dropping her makeshift crown into her hair.

"How does it look?"

"Like you're the princess of the Forbidden Forest."

Gwyn snorted. "With all the horn frogs and spiders as my subjects?"

"Sure," Alice joked. "The spiders weave their silk into your dresses, and the frogs form your royal choir."

Gwyn made a choked sound and said, mock-outraged, "I wouldn't have frogs for that, I'd have the birds."

Lily shrugged. "To each her own, no doubt."

They giggled at the thought until Alice suddenly turned serious. "Have you done anything more about Avus?" she asked.

"No, but Sirius and Peter are keeping an eye out for him."

Gwyn flicked a blade of grass at her carelessly. "You know, who would have guessed Lily Evans would one day start working with Sirius Black?"

"Not me," Alice said.

"They're not that bad," she said. "Besides, people can change, can't they? I mean, who would have thought that James and I would be together a few years ago?"

Gywn rolled her eyes. "Everyone but you."

Lily exhaled sharply. "I'll never get how you could have known. You were just saying those things to me for James, right? He asked you to help him since you were teammates."

To her astonishment, Gwyn shook her head. If there was anything she'd been sure of for the longest time, it was that Gwyn had been conspiring with James for years.

"He never asked me to do anything," she said. "I just knew."

That annoyed Lily. _How could she, when I didn't?_ "What was it, though? I _hated_ him. I only like him now because he's different."

Gwyn shook her head. "No, that's the thing. You _hated_ him." She put a slightly different lilt to that word than Lily had used.

"There was also that way you always said, 'Potter!' Like, _Potter_!" Alice's imitation drew more than a few peals of laughter from Gwyn.

"And don't kid yourself, Lily. He really hasn't changed that much."

She frowned, remembering their conversation on the train. He had definitely changed.

"He's a better person than he used to be," she insisted stubbornly. This brought on a searching look from Alice.

"Did you ever really think he was a bad person?" she wondered.

"Well, I—" In all honesty, she had thought James was a bully, a big-headed jerk who lived off the fact that he could fly a broom. Now she felt a sense of regret; she _had _thought he was a bad person, in a way. The thick watercolor strokes of the sky met her eyes as she looked up, but they held no answers.

"He was never as bad as you made him out to be," Gwyn inserted. "Maybe that's why you think he's changed that much. He was also a nice guy, even when he was overconfident."

"Really?" Much as she loved him now, she couldn't help remembering how often she'd found him or Sirius picking on Snape. She wanted so badly to have misjudged him all those years.

"Haven't you ever wondered what it was between James and the Slytherin, all these years?" Actually, she hadn't. It seemed more like natural animosity than anything else. Half of Gryffindor House hated the Slytherins; it was just a way of life.

"Do you remember our second year, when I joined the Gryffindor squad?" Gwyn asked.

"Yeah, of course." Gwyn and James had been the youngest players on the team.

"Well, before my first match, remember how I got hurt climbing a tree?" She had been there, they'd all been clambering up the beech, trying to see who could get the highest.

"Pomfrey healed me up before we had the match, but I was still really sore and weak there. I'd broken a few ribs, right? Well, some of the Slytherins—I think Snape was one of them, because he saw the whole thing—told their players to hit all the Bludgers at my left side."

Lily's breath hissed as she inhaled. "They did?" A breeze cut across the lake and ruffled her hair, which shimmered as it blew into her eyes. She brushed it away, curling it behind her ear.

"To be fair, some wouldn't. Hans didn't, I guess that's why we've always liked him better. But that's Quidditch. You have to figure out how to beat your opponent, anything that gives you an edge is fair game. Anyways, James figured out what they were trying to do. He flew wing for me the whole game, stayed right off to my side and drew off any Bludgers they shot off at me."

_That does sound like something he'd do_, she reasoned, recalling what she'd just told him about his own greatest weakness.

"You lost that match," she murmured, the memory returning to her in pieces.

Gwyn's lips quirked upward. "Afterwards, Hopper—remember him?—screamed his head off at James in the locker room. Really raked him through the coals. He just stood there and took it, and when it was over he asked me whether _I_ was okay." She shook her head ruefully. "Since then, James has pretty much hated most of the Slytherins. And I've liked him."

"Well, that explains a lot." It certainly explained why Gwyn always seemed to like the idea of Lily and James so much. She looked over at Alice and realized that she was surprised to hear the story too.

"So James really never asked you to help him?" her friend asked.

Gywn shook her head. "Huh. I always figured…" Alice's voice drifted off.

"Yeah, me too," Lily said.

"But enough about Quidditch," Gywn said. "We're one bad practice away from three-a-days, and I hear the Slytherins are even practicing at night. I don't want to think about it right now."

And so they floated off into other topics, joking and wiling away the time as the wind ruffled the mirror-like surface of the lake, briefly free of worry.

-000-

The last Hogsmeade weekend before Easter was always Lily's favorite. Although the snow was gone, spring had just begun to creep in, and the first flowers were shooting out from the small patches of soil next to the houses. And this year she'd have something better to do than sit around in the Three Broomsticks with Alice or Jen, rolling their eyes whenever one of the younger kids decided to try their newly bought Zonko's product right then and there.

As she and James took their by-now familiar spots at the front of the line, she took his hand. He smiled over at her, and then they were on their way. The teachers walked in a loose perimeter around the students, wary in case there was any sign of danger.

Despite all the precautions, Lily doubted an attack would ever occur. For one thing, it wasn't even the right time for it. Avus would have to come at them in human form, and obviously he didn't want to reveal his identity. And besides, he seemed willing enough to take on small bands wandering through the forest, or people who he caught alone. But a group of sixty-odd students and four fully-trained wizard or witch professors?

Along the way, they happened to run into Reckay Bringfer. He looked grim-faced and rather scratched up; clearly the tracking was taking its toll.

"How're you?" he asked gruffly, falling into step with them at the front of the line. He looked uncomfortable out of his element; his leather boots, which padded so silently through the forest, were probably a bit too thin to be comfortable on the path.

"Alright," James answered. The hunter seemed pleased to hear it.

"How's the…job going?" Lily asked.

"Harder than I expected," he allowed. "I've been waiting out there for ages, but the bait's not good enough, apparently."

The thought troubled Lily. _He had some kind of bait for the werewolf?_ That would mean people, like they had done. _Was one of those people from Hogsmeade just bait for some trap that went wrong?_ It seemed unconscionable for a Ministry official to place other people at risk in that kind of way.

"Don't worry," he said. "One thing you learn when you start hunting, is that no matter how smart prey gets, it always comes when you offer enough."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "I hope you don't offer it too much," she said, not sure she liked the idea of just throwing more "bait" out in the woods.

"So you had a tussle with him, did you?"

James spoke first. "Yup. I'd still have the scars to prove it, if my friends hadn't managed to heal the cuts up so quickly."

Bringfer brooded on that while James went on. "I hope you've got a trap good enough for him. He's freakish big and fast. Strong too."

"Eh, is that so?" The hunter looked disturbingly pleased at that. Lily noticed that there were fresh cuts on his hands, as well as healed-over scars. "The most glorious prey is always that way. You feel it when you finally get them. Yes, this'll be a great one." He looked down at his shadow running ahead of him.

"Well, duty calls," he said by way of good-bye, and slinked off without another word.

"Strange guy," James muttered when he was out of earshot.

Lily didn't want to be too hard on the hunter. "If he's going to help us get Avus, though, I'll take it. I don't care how weird he seems."

James whistled a little out-of-tune melody. "It's that whole department in the Ministry," he said. "You'd have to be half-mad to tackle the things they do. Dragon-tamers and what not."

"Hey! I wanted to work for the Magical Creatures Department when I was younger." She gave him a playful shove.

"Really?" He put one hand to his head and stuck a finger out. "Tell the truth, was it unicorns? You thought the whole gig was riding on unicorns, didn't you?"

"_No_," she denied vehemently, but she knew she was blushing.

"What were you going to name yours…come on, you can tell me," James said teasingly.

She glared daggers at him, but finally mumbled, "Tansy." He laughed hard enough that she threatened to hit him with a Bat-Bogey Hex.

"By the way, how are you and Petunia?"

"I got my second letter from her just the other day," Lily answered. It had been one of the few high points in recent times.

"Anything interesting?"

"Private matters," Lily said primly.

"Ah. Boys, then. It must have been about boys."

"What are you implying there, Potter?"

He managed a deadpan expression and said innocently, "Why, just that the only thing that girls care about at your age is guys."

"Oh, that does it, get ready to see Bat Bogeys like you've never seen before…"

Just then, however, the village rounded into sight and he took off.

"Hey, don't try to run!" She jokingly stuck her hand in her robes, seeing if he would flinch.

He only shouted over his shoulder, "Catch me if you can!" She vaguely remembered something Slughorn had said about staying together as a group, but at the moment it didn't seem at all important.

By the time she caught up with him he was leaning on the window in front of Zonko's, looking in at whatever new terrors the shop had stocked to make the lives of Prefects more difficult.

"Does this have to be the first place we visit?" she asked, panting.

He shrugged. "As good as any other? Come on, when's the last time you visited?"

She had to think very far back. She had gone to Zonko's the first time she visited the village, of course, but it hadn't interested her very much. And then when she'd become a Prefect, she had become more concerned with stopping kids from bringing the disallowed objects from the store into school.

She blew a defeated sigh and said, "Alright, let's go in."

He whooped like a ten-year-old and ran inside, towing her along reluctantly. She hadn't expected to be that interested in the stock. The invisible-ink quills attracted her immediately, as did the stack of Phony Divination cards.

She flipped the first one, which threatened her with "Imminent conflict." The next one was a skull with grotesquely bloodshot eyeballs, which said, "Death stares you in the face."

"These are such a crock," she said, exasperated.

"Hey, you never know," he said, leaning over to see what she was talking about. "Hm, sounds bad. You know what to do if death stares you in the face, though?"

"What?"

"Give it a cheeky wink and stare right back. He'll blink first. Now check these out—its parchment that won't stay flat no matter how many times you try to smooth it out! We should replace all of Slughorn's papers, he'd go crazy trying to write stuff down."

"You wouldn't really do that to him, would you? He let you off those detentions, that was nice of him."

James shrugged. "You come up with another person."

She scoured her mind, and then smiled. "You know Dirk Cresswell?"

He smiled up at her. "Now there's a thought…" Cresswell was a Ravenclaw notoriously anal-retentive about his homework habits. "And here I thought you were the kind one and I was the cruel one."

On her insistence, they left Zonko's after giving it the once-over. James promised not to use the paper on Dirk, although he bought a few rolls and refused to tell her who they were for. "Just for my collection, really!" he claimed unconvincingly.

They bought cups of every-any-flavor ice cream at Honeydukes. Lily thought she'd never get used to the gray, clay-like color of the stuff, but she couldn't deny that she loved it when her first bite tasted like raspberry and her next like chocolate almonds.

After that, they went to the Three Broomsticks, where she'd promised to meet Alice for lunch. She had Frank in tow as well, and soon enough they were joined by Sirius and Dorcas. The group's composition made Quidditch a predictable conversation topic.

Dorcas was discussing match strategy in so much detail that Lily's head was spinning—she wasn't sure whether it was from trying to absorb it, or from sheer boredom.

"Vagar Parkinson heavily favors the right," James explained. "If he's coming at you and switches left, it's going to be a feint most of the time. You feint the same way, though, let him think he's got you, then come back."

Frank contributed his own knowledge of the Slytherin team's tendencies, which had apparently come from watching a few of their practices earlier in the year.

"Wasn't on the team back then, so they couldn't kick me out," he said, smiling.

After Dorcas had calmed her nerves enough, though, James and Frank sensed that Lily and Alice weren't entirely invested in the conversation and switched tack. They talked N.E.W.T.'s for a little bit, but the topic had been exhaustively covered many times before.

"Definitely make you do teapot or kettle to cat," Sirius explained. "There's a lot of ways you can go wrong. Body of animal, same spout…not enough legs, legs made of porcelain…steam whistling out of ears. It's the classic, it's almost guaranteed."

"I hear the Defense Against the Dark Arts practical ends up basically being a duel between you and the tester," Alice whispered. She ought to know; her father was an Auror, and probably had occasionally been asked to fill the role. "They basically see how well you fight, how long you last, what spells you use, they don't expect you to win."

"Does anyone ever?"

She colored scarlet. "Well, my dad says he's never lost one. But I guess others might have, so I'm not sure."

That whole line of discussion largely left out Frank and Dorcas, however, since they didn't have to face their tests for another year. Lily remembered how she'd felt in their place—still happy about having gotten the O.W.L.'s she'd wanted.

Alice and Frank were the first ones to get up. As soon as they started shuffling out of their seats, Sirius shot up hurriedly.

"Oh, before you guys leave—" He looked at each of them in turn. "Alright, everyone here's pretty trustworthy. Listen. If you have a bit of free time at the end of the day, say around four, it wouldn't hurt to stop at the Hog's Head." He winked slyly at Alice and Frank, then turned back to James and Lily as they left.

"You two as well, of course," he said.

"What's going on, Padfoot?" Lily saw the confused expression that flashed briefly across Dorcas's face, and smiled inwardly. _She's as lost as I was on those._

"Nothing, just a little surprise."

"This wouldn't happen to be that little project you had on the side, would it?"

"Always a keen investigative mind," Sirius said to her. "Just trust me, it'll be worth the time." He flashed them a cocky grin as he and Dorcas stood up. "Remember—four o'clock, the Hog's Head."

James and Lily left after paying for their food. When they walked out, she wrapped her arms around his and they started walking down the lane.

"I was hoping we wouldn't have to see the Hog's Head again," she admitted.

He had an odd bounce to his step. "You _are_ curious about what he's up to, aren't you?"

"Of course." She sighed. "I just wish we could have met somewhere nicer."

James laughed. "I don't mind. I'd be more concerned myself if he was asking you to meet up with him at Madam Puddifoot's or something." That one earned him a punch in the arm.

"Ow. That wasn't very nice."

"Well," she responded tartly. "Maybe I'm not nice all the time. Now how are we going to fill the time 'til four?"

"I have a few ideas," he said, grinning.

Naturally Madam Puddifoot's was their next stop. Afterwards, they took a long walk along the edge of the village lights, out past the shops. Lily shuddered as they walked along the path that they'd taken earlier that year to get into the Forbidden Forest.

"That wasn't the best of ideas, was it?" James reflected.

"I don't know that it was bad," she said. "Just too many things went wrong."

Instead of taking the fork that led up to the trees, they curved back down towards the town, a peal of bells sounding out the hour. Looking over the roofs, she was startled to see that some still had a bit of white dusting on them. _Guess we're not out of the winter all the way just yet,_ she thought.

When the time came, they headed back down to the Hog's Head. The familiar and somewhat grisly sign swung slightly in the wind, greeting them with a creaking sound that made a startling contrast to the light chimes that she identified with the tea shop.

Inside, the lighting was bad as ever. The bartender looked up at them as they came in.

"Cup o' ale?" he asked, voice grating.

"Just meeting a friend," Lily answered. She looked around for Sirius.

"You might want to check the backroom," the tender suggested. He threw them a key and pointed towards a dark corner of the open area. "Don't worry, I got plenty of copies."

It occurred to her that the bar was empty; it seemed the Hog's Head wasn't entertaining patrons today. No one was there, the tables empty and cob-webby at the joints.

Frank and Alice entered after them, and the bartender nodded in their direction. When Alice spotted Lily, they walked over.

"Where's everyone?"

James jerked his head towards the door. "In there, hopefully."

The key was old rusted iron, and when the lock clicked back into place it sounded like the gears of a broken clock. "Let's see what we've got," Lily said, swinging the door open.

Inside they ran into Sirius first; he was standing by the door, ready to greet anyone who came in. "Great, grab a chair," he told them. As they walked into the middle of the room, Lily startled. Sitting calmly in the center of the room was Dumbledore.

"Professor—?" It didn't make sense, he hadn't come down with them in the morning. And yet…

Miss Evans, Mr. Potter. How do you do?" He stood up and motioned at his seat. "Sit down, I'm sure you've had your fill of walking." His knowing smile seemed wise yet also a touch playful.

"Where will you sit?" she wondered.

"Ah, thank you for considering me. But I'm to be the speaker at this little event," he said, gesturing up at the podium. He walked up to the front as Lily and James sat down, Alice and Frank taking the places next to them.

People came in one by one, occasionally in pairs, slowly filing into the room. There was a brief disturbance when Hans Patterson showed up, but James smoothed it over with Sirius and Hans had come to sit with them. Peter Pettigrew joined them a few minutes later, head darting about in his perpetually anxious way.

Gwyn came in as well, along with a few seventh-year Hufflepuffs she recognized. She took a seat behind Lily and whispered a hello, looking apprehensive. The key she was holding in her hand was small and golden, shaped like a tapered sword.

Lily hadn't known about this room in the pub during all her years at Hogwarts. Come to think of it, it had never been open when they were in the village. It was quite a large chamber, now that she had the time to take a step back and consider it. She wondered what it was normally used for.

Finally, some number that only Sirius or Dumbledore recognized seemed to have been reached—it appeared to be about twenty—and Sirius closed the door. The chattering of voices began to die down when the door was shut, and Sirius took a seat off to the back of the room.

"Ah yes, well let's begin then. I trust Sirius spoke to all of you about this little meeting today. I've been trusting him to be a…recruiter of sorts, and if I can be any judge I would say he has done an admirable job."

Dumbledore coughed softly into a handkerchief and then continued. "No doubt you are wondering why you are here, or what I have come here to ask of you that I could not ask of you at school. I will try to be as complete but concise with my explanation as possible." Lily found herself on the edge of her seat; when James reached for her hand, she took his gratefully.

"I began this year by telling the students as a whole that we could not ignore the threat that the self-styled Lord Voldemort posed to wizarding kind. The words, true then, are ever more true now." Whispers and worry rippled through the group.

"I am saying this not to alarm you as you are on the eve of entering true adulthood in our world. I merely tell you this because I believe that, despite the grave nature of the threat he represents, he is being largely ignored by the authorities that govern our society." _Well, that's certainly going to set our minds at ease,_ Lily thought.

"I asked for you to come today because I think you the type of people who can face this harsh truth," Dumbledore declared. "And who can face the challenges to come. In doing so, I realize I may have already placed your lives in danger." The noise in the room rose enough that he had to put a hand up to stop them.

"I think this would be the best time to let you leave, if you so wish." With a wave of his hand, the door swung open again and a dim light poured in from the main bar. "No one would think any less of you."

Everyone stayed seated. Alice was trembling slightly next to her, but then Frank put an arm around her shoulders and her expression hardened. "Good," he said finally. "I would have expected no less of you, but I had to offer you the choice nonetheless. Let me add that everything I say from hereon in, I tell you in confidence. This is not information to be treated lightly."

He cleared his throat. "Now, despite Lord Voldemort's importance, you have been taught next to nothing about who he is or how he operates. To be honest, the first question is still shrouded in mystery. I can only tell you that the so-called Voldemort is a wizard of exceptional power named Tom Riddle."

Dumbledore paused for a moment. "Tom was a student of mine at Hogwarts, and Head Boy in his day." Dozens of voices rose at once, drowning each other out. Once again, Dumbledore's raised hand silenced them. "There will be time for questions at the end. If I may continue…Tom was a student of mine. However, Tom learned the sorts of Dark Arts we have never, and will never, teach at Hogwarts. In mastering these arts, he gained powers beyond all of our abilities. Even mine."

_Is that James's heart pounding, or mine?_ she wondered. _Or both?_ The room was now deadly silent.

"In so doing, I hold the belief that he also exposed certain fatal flaws that will ultimately be his undoing. And that is all I shall say of Mr. Riddle for the time being. As to his intentions, and plan of action…Tom has not been idle in the years since he left school. He has gathered around him a group of loyal followers—I will not call them friends—who refer to themselves as _Death Eaters_. Indeed, you may already have heard rumors of their existence."

The name had in fact been floating around for some time, but mostly in barely believable stories people told around the table. Now it seemed frighteningly real, validity augmented by Dumbledore's words.

"No one knows what numbers he commands, nor how his forces are arrayed. However, there can be little doubt about one thing: he ultimately intends to wage nothing less than war upon the wizarding world, like the dark wizard Grindelwald before him." Lily registered dismay on many faces when he said that.

"His purpose is to purify the wizarding race," Dumbledore explained, weariness seeping into his voice. "Tom believed very strongly in the importance of magical ancestry, the preservation of whole lineages of wizarding blood. He looked down upon those he saw as polluting these lineages." It seemed to Lily as if Dumbledore's eyes were directed upon her.

"This is the greatest strength of Lord Voldemort's movement, yet simultaneously its greatest weakness."

Now someone did interrupt. She thought she recognized the voice of Bertram Archie saying, "How can it be both?"

"Quite simple," Dumbledore replied. "It makes him strong because it gives him the support of many old wizarding families, families that believe themselves superior to others." Lily chanced a glance back at Sirius, and found him scowling darkly. "It is also a weakness, however, because it forces him to overlook talented and exceptional individuals whose heritage is…less desirable according to his standards."

Apparently that satisfied Bertram, because he didn't say anything more. "Voldemort has gotten a jump on us thus far," Dumbledore forged ahead. "Too long he has been ignored, or dismissed wrongly. Even I confess myself guilty. I thought, in the early years, that it was impossible for a student of this school, a student who learned its values, to become the very essence of evil. This is my fault, and my burden."

Lily wanted to say something, deny it. _How could Dumbledore get something wrong?_ It seemed inconceivable. "Be that as it may, the end result is that Voldemort has been gathering Death Eaters to his side for nearly a decade now, with no corresponding strength arising on the side of right." A hush settled over them. "It is time, I believe, to rectify that mistake."

"Sirius, if you would…" He gestured towards the back of the room, and Sirius came up holding a long roll of parchment. "I have begun recruiting certain trusted individuals, individuals with useful talents, skills, or knowledge from all walks of life and groups of people…to join in a new order, a group I call the Order of the Phoenix. I have called you here tonight to ask you if you would like to join yourselves to our endeavor."

He held up a hand this time, forestalling the inevitable tide of comments.

"You are students, of course, so this may seem like much to demand of you. But students you cannot remain for long. Before you realize it, the world will be yours."

He readjusted the slant of his robes. "Allow me to explain something about the name I chose, which may strike you as somewhat odd. As you all know, the phoenix is a powerfully magical bird that is born, lives, and dies…only to be reborn from the ashes." The flames around his face seemed to flicker as he drew a hand across them. "In my long years of experience, I have found that the nature of good is much the same. Good waxes and wanes in proportion to the shadow that falls across this world. And indeed, good can appear to die…yet it always surges forth once again, stronger and surer than before. Because the good can never die so long as one scrap, one mote of ash, remains…as long as one good man, or one good woman, holds the good in his or her heart."

Dumbledore's hand surrounded a candle flame, and when he moved it and opened it, the flame was alive in his hand, twisting and licking upwards, lapping away at the darkness. His voice was quiet, but it was so silent that no one had to strain to hear it.

"As long as they cup that flame in their hands, and nurture it, it will go on." He gently nestled the flame back into its spot among the row of lights.

"So I ask you to join with me, to accept a place as a guardian of this light. It will not be easy, to be sure. Some of us will have to fight, and in so doing, some will certainly perish. It is natural to be afraid of this fate. But I chose you precisely because I felt you were the sort who would not quail away from what is most difficult or most frightening…so long as it is right."

He extended a hand, as if to shake. "Night is falling, and we have failed to light the torches." His voice rumbled now with a terrible power, like the roar of a waterfall or the ceaseless heat of the sun on a summer day. "Good people are the only thing that can hold the dark at bay. Bind yourselves to that good. Bind yourselves to protect those who cannot protect themselves. To be true and just, loving to your friends and merciful to your enemies. Do so, and perhaps your children shall be born to the touch of the next sunrise."

When he finished speaking, you could have heard a pin drop. _Maybe even a piece of dust falling on the head of that pin_, Lily thought. All around them, anxiety was written plainly on the faces of their fellow students. She wondered who would be first to speak, first to ask a question. Yet it seemed as if everything they could ask was superfluous, unnecessary. The choice was clear before her, and she made it. In some ways, she knew, she had made the choice ages and ages ago.

She felt James's hand squeeze hers, the slight tug in his fingers. They stood up together. Dumbledore's kind eyes fell on them.

"Well," James said, "I see the parchment." He put on a brave smile and forced a chuckle out of his lips. "But where's the quill?"

Sirius was the first one to laugh, a harsh bark full of incredulity. He was smiling broadly, reaching into his robes and drawing out a single white feather. The rest was the dull protest of dozens of chair legs scraping against the ground as everyone stood together.


	22. The Secret of Wolfsbane

Chapter Twenty-Two – The Secret of Wolfsbane

"So this was your secret project, huh?" A few had stayed in the bar after the Order of the Phoenix meeting.

Sirius shrugged as Dumbledore gestured for the bartender to come over. "Not exactly. Remember I was telling you guys we should have our own dueling club?"

James smiled, flicking his eyes over to Lily. "I seem to recall you were strongly dissuaded."

"You know me, James. Never give up, just shut up."

"You never seem particularly good at either," Lily kidded him.

"True enough." They shared a laugh. Dumbledore was whispering in the tender's ear, and he went off for a minute or so before returning with a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky.

"A bit of celebration might not be unbecoming," he announced, his beard twitching.

"A quick second to that!" Sirius jumped up and started getting glasses for everyone.

The bartender wandered over and sat down at the table with a few butterbeers. Lily took one of them; inside the bar it was already overly warm. James took a glass of firewhisky from Dumbledore, who was pouring and serving.

"So is there a story behind how this dueling club of yours became the Order of the Phoenix?"

As she had suspected, there was. Sirius had gone to Dumbledore after Lily had forbidden him from creating it in secret, and told him about the idea. Dumbledore had feigned interest for a while, listening to Sirius's ideas of how it would be set up and how its membership could extend past their time at the school. In the end, it had all sounded remarkably like the Order, which Dumbledore was already working on quietly.

Judging Sirius trustworthy, he set him about gathering up lists of potential members. From these, Dumbledore selected those he felt could be trusted—and added those who he felt Sirius had overlooked. "Slytherins," Sirius had muttered darkly, to which Dumbledore had merely chuckled tolerantly.

All in all, it was quite the show that Dumbledore and Sirius had put together. She was wondering why they chose the Hog's Head, a question she eventually posed.

To her surprise, Dumbledore turned to the bartender and said, "We have Aberforth to thank for that." The man was nursing a butterbeer, but still seemed pleased by the acknowledgement.

"Can you guess, Miss Evans, why I trust Aberforth?" His eyes were sparkling as Lily shook her head.

"No offense, sir, but not really."

"Why, can't you see the family resemblance?" He shifted over so he and Aberforth's faces were right next to each other; they both broke into smiles, and for the first time she saw the same kindly understanding shine in the tender's face.

It had to be the smile, because otherwise the man in front of them did not look much like Dumbledore. But now on second thought…He was also tall, and slim in the same way. His hair was a darker shade of gray, however, and it was cut much shorter.

"You're—"

"Brothers," Dumbledore said. "Yes, truly, sometimes you find brothers and sisters in the strangest places." He smiled at that, as if letting them in on some secret.

Sirius chimed in, "So that's why we used this place. Dumbledore and his brother have cooked up some enchantments for this place you wouldn't believe."

Aberforth nodded proudly. "That back room where you all met…any key will open the door, but it won't budge an inch if the people inside don't want you there. Powerful defensive magic."

Lily was puzzled. "Why bother with keys then?"

Aberforth shrugged. "I like collecting."

"Don't give away all the secrets now, Aberforth." When Dumbledore spoke, his brother grinned back at him. "I'm afraid my brother likes to talk. It has something to do with his profession, no doubt."

Aberforth cackled. "I know a brother of mine who rather likes the sound of his own voice as well," he said.

Dumbledore clapped him on the shoulder, and said, "Well, we're all apples from the same branch, aren't we?"

"Aye, that we are. To good ol' Mum and Dad, may they rest in peace." The tender raised his glass in a toast, and they all followed.

"To all mothers and fathers everywhere," Dumbledore added. "Who have the greatest magic of all."

They clinked their glasses again, but when they separated James asked, "What did you mean by that? The greatest magic of all…life?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Close, but not quite."

_Love_, Lily thought fleetingly, hand reaching up to feel the soft pulse of the necklace James had given her.

"To the greatest magic of all," Lily said, raising her bottle. They echoed her toast.

Dumbledore put his glass down. "I think that's enough for me," he said. "I still have enough fire in me, without needing Ogden to add too much more. And I've found his mix always gives me fever dreams." He stood and waved them a casual good-bye.

"Brother was always a lightweight," Aberforth said light-heartedly.

"Yes, it was quite the embarrassment to find out one day that my little brother could outdrink me," Dumbledore joked.

He began moving to the door, but before he could leave James called out to him. When he paused, his back to them, James asked, "Do you think it'll really come to war? Wizard against wizard?"

Dumbledore's nod was barely perceptible. "Great as the power of words may be, they only work when both sides want to talk." He glanced back at them. "And I know Tom."

Somehow, as soon as he left, the first patrons started entering. A haggard witch with an arm bandaged up to the elbow was the first, followed shortly by three squat men who couldn't have stood higher than Lily's elbow.

"You'll have to excuse me," Aberforth said, draining one more glass. "Duty calls."

Sirius swirled the bottle, which between all of them was half-finished. "One more round?" he asked.

James waved him off, saying, "I have to be at the head of the line when we're on our way back, I don't want to be stumbling all along the road."

Sirius laughed, but still poured out two more glasses. "Just one more. To the Order of the Phoenix!"

James had a resigned sort of set to his face, but he took the glass. They all kissed in the center with a delicate clinking sound.

Sirius leaned back, his aristocratic features slightly flushed. "Nothing like a good bit of Ogden's to get the blood flowing," he declared. James was grinning as Sirius said, "Remember that time at my uncle's, the first time we flew—"

But Lily wasn't paying attention any more. Suddenly it all clicked into place in her mind.

"That's it!" she said, shooting upward. James appeared alarmed by her sudden motion, and Sirius confused.

"That's what?" James asked, but she was already dashing out.

"Need to send off an owl right now," she said by way of explanation. "I'll let you know more when we get back to the castle."

She ran down the street to the post office, and hastily grabbed quill and parchment. After she'd finished scrawling her note out, she read it over. It was brief and to the point, she thought, which was good.

_Dear Mr. Belby,_

_I think I've figured out how to solve our wolfsbane problem. Take a bit of Ogden's and mull it over—it really gets the blood flowing._

_If it's as you say, and you can't solve the other…well, people wait and hope for cures, but they won't complain about a treatment, either._

_Lily Evans_

Hurriedly, she grabbed the largest, swiftest owl she could find, and attached the note to his leg with trembling fingers. "Godspeed," she whispered into its ear, and watched it as it fluttered out the window.

-000-

She explained it all to James and Sirius on the way back, excitement brimming over.

"Don't you see? That's the key to the potion, that's what we've been missing! Something we could add that wouldn't interfere with the magical properties but could make it act faster."

Sirius was dubious. "So you have to get drunk for this to work?"

"Not drunk, you sot," she said impatiently. "You just need to add enough to make sure it opens up the blood. Trust me, I'm almost sure this is it."

James seemed more supportive, smiling wryly when he said, "It'll be good to see some color in Remus's face, in any case."

She hadn't sent Remus a letter yet, although she'd debated writing one to him at the post. It just didn't seem right to implant a hope that could turn out to be false. As confident as she was, sometimes you just never knew with potions.

"I hope he sends back an answer soon," she said. "We really need this."

But a few days passed without a response, and then a week. Easter came and went, and Lily was extremely worried. _If worst comes to worst_, she assured herself, _I can try brewing some at the next new moon._ But who could test it?

One morning, however, James ran into the Great Hall waving a copy of the_ Daily Prophet_. "Just got it from Rosmerta," he explained. "Look at this!" Since the beginning of the year, she'd been sending up a load of papers from Hogsmeade so that they would have the news.

His voice sounded furious, so she bent over the article and read. Quickly, she grasped why.

**Belby Solves Lycanthropy**

_Elderly Potions-Master Unveils Treatment for Werewolves_

_Distinguished Potions-Master Damocles Belby has announced a critical breakthrough in his long-standing project to develop an effective treatment for lycanthropy. The substance, which he calls Wolfsbane Potion, is an incredibly complex concoction that Mr. Belby has been refining for the better part of two decades._

_Lycanthropy has been a long-standing problem in the magical community. Strict measures are generally taken to preserve the dignity of a person attacked by a werewolf, but of course it must be balanced by concerns for the safety of others. As such, it has been an issue of long-standing debate and one of considerable legal controversy. Werewolves are a small, if relatively vocal, minority._

_Mr. Belby originally became interested in the problem when one of his own friends was attacked by a werewolf. Thankfully he escaped without being infected by the disease, but upon describing the experience to Mr. Belby, the Potions-Master resolved to look further into the issue. His first forays into a cure were made at Hogwarts while still a teacher, but he abandoned the attempt for some time after failing to resolve several difficult issues._

_Mr. Belby credits the last crucial revelations to "an illuminating dialogue with a current student at Hogwarts Academy of Magic." As Mr. Belby explained in an exclusive interview, " I used to teach there, you know. Very bright, those kids…"_

_The identity of the student is unknown at this time. More on Belby's life and career on pg. 2, with an exclusive interview included on pg. 3; the magic behind the potion on pg. 6, with expert Potions-Masters weighing in with their opinions; reactions from the werewolf community on pg. 10._

"He nicked your idea!" James was pacing as she read. "This is incredible! We thought he was—he was—I mean, he used to teach here, how could he just take credit for what you did?"

She put a hand on his arm to slow him down. "Woah, relax. What's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal? You're the one who solved the problems, not him! And he's just doing this to try and get all the credit!" He flicked the picture of Belby, who did look rather conceited, in disgust.

Lily could only shrug. "I mean, I'm not thrilled either, James…" That thumping definitely wasn't her own heart, and she tugged the necklace and held it in her hand. "You should calm down, by the way, you're going to rupture or something."

He gave the necklace a betrayed look, but sat down. "You know, he _is_ the inventor of the potion," Lily continued. "He did almost all the work, I just gave him a final leg-up. And even that was us really working together, we were corresponding about ideas."

"But—it couldn't have happened if you hadn't figured it out back in Hogsmeade." His tone was pleading, and Lily had to be amused. She wondered if he would ever learn to stop rushing around trying to protect other people.

"He did credit me," she said. "See that part about a Hogwarts student…"

He threw his hands up. "You're impossible. Alright, if you don't mind, I won't complain."

Of course, Lily ought to have realized that wouldn't be the end of it. "But, I mean, he didn't even tell them your name, he's going to get all the credit…" She let him go on until his grumbling subsisted, and he grabbed a piece of toast.

"Do you really think that matters so much to me?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he forced out between gulps. Apparently he'd decided to drown his unhappiness with pumpkin juice.

"The point is if Belby is announcing it, he must be sure it's right. Otherwise he'd look like an idiot."

"So?"

"So," she explained forbearingly, "that means that Remus can be treated. Not cured, but at least treated." James's head cocked to the side. He'd be so intent on ripping Belby apart for stealing the idea that he hadn't thought of it that way.

"Remember what you told me on the train?" Lily reminded him.

"Of course," he said. Then he said, voice barely above a whisper, "I've been trying to be better this year, you know."

She wanted to give him a bit of encouragement. "And you've been good so far. Good enough to convince me, anyways." She kissed him lightly.

"My point, though," she went on, "is what you said to me. Remember? It's more important to be good than great. So I'm more concerned about how we managed to do something important. Let the credit go to whoever."

"Oh, yeah. That." He paused. "But I mean, if you could have both…"

She put her finger to his lips. Taking one last bite of her scrambled eggs, she got up. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?"

She smiled. "I want to go for a walk," she said. "Hogsmeade is lovely this time of year…and I think we owe Remus a letter. You think he's reached Munich by now?"

James shrugged, but he was smiling again. "We'll just have to write 'Wherever he is' for the address, I guess."


	23. Ave Noctum

Chapter Twenty-Three – Ave Noctum

When she had the time, Lily read more of the article about Damocles Belby. She learned that he had taught at Hogwarts for a short time as a young man, but had left during the war. She guessed that was when Slughorn had replaced him—he had held the job ever since. She also went through the section talking about the reaction of various werewolves themselves; although most were anonymous, the general response was overwhelmingly thankful and positive.

It made her feel a pang of pity for Michael Avus, who she began to realize was afflicted with a condition that he could not control. She tried to imagine what she would do if she was asked to judge him in some kind of trial. _What if he began taking the potion and was sorry about what he'd done? Should he still be punished?_

It was a lot to consider, and quite troubling. She wasn't so sure what she would do, if it came to that. Gwyn, however, was less forgiving when Lily posed the question during breakfast on the morning on the Gryffindor-Slytherin match.

"Of course he ought to be punished," she said. "There are lots of people who don't kill and are werewolves, they get someone to lock them up during the full moon." _Like Remus_, a voice said, wondering how much Gwyn knew.

Jennifer Bones came and sat with them shortly thereafter. She immediately brought up the Quidditch match, which would finally determine the Cup. Judging by the fervent whispers and the seas of red-and-gold or green-and-black that filled the room, it would have been clear to anyone who walked in that both sides wanted to win very badly. The Slytherins were hungry for revenge for the last few years, when key losses to Gryffindor had cost them the Cup. It was also clear that most of the school was on the Gryffindor side; Slytherin earned itself few friends with its customarily brutish playing style.

"Hey, I just wanted to wish you luck," Jen was saying. "Take out those snakes for us, will you?"

"We'll try," Gwyn said, lips set grimly. Alice sat white and worried at her side. Ever since Gwyn had told them the story about how the Slytherin team liked to pick on the most vulnerable link in the team, she had been worried about Frank. His inexperience made him a likely target.

"Now what was I saying?" Gwyn resumed. "Oh, yeah. About this werewolf..." Their references were more oblique now that Jen was with them.

"I was asking whether he should be punished, since he couldn't help being what he was," Lily explained to Jen. "Now that they can treat them, I'm not so sure…"

"The thing is, he's not trying to stop himself from committing these crimes. He's actually hanging around the school and Hogsmeade. That means even in his human form he's scoping out victims, like he wants to be close to them or something."

"Gwyn has a point there," Jen admitted. "If you don't want to hurt people, you wouldn't do what he's doing."

"You don't think Frank's going to be hurt, do you?" Alice interjected nervously. She suddenly seemed to have realized that they were all sitting there. Her fork moved the food around her plate nervously, but she didn't take a bite.

"By the werewolf? No more than the rest of us are, anyways."

Gwyn shook her head. "She doesn't mean by the werewolf, Jen."

Noting Jen's confused expression, Alice said, "By the Slytherins."

"Oh, oh, right. Well, I'm not sure…" This didn't make Alice any happier. "I've flown against them, and they're dirty, no denying that."

"Since Hans became Captain they're not that bad, though," Gwyn added. "He keeps the worse ones in line if they try to kill someone."

"Right." Jen was rolling her eyes. "He's made it perfectly clear to them that they can stoop this low—" She held her hand about a foot of the ground. "—But not this low." Now her fingers were almost scraping the gray stone. A third-year ran by, bewitching an airplane in front of her. As Lily watched, the airplane turned into distinct shades of green and black, and Gwyn's eyes narrowed.

"I don't suppose you can confiscate that?" she muttered.

Lily shook her head. "Abuse of powers, Gwyn. Very bad." But she grinned when she said that. "On the other hand, that _could_ poke someone's eye out…"

"Oh, stop it," Jen said. "Picking on third-years, you ought to be ashamed of yourselves."

"Remember back when we were third-years…" Alice's voice was wistful, thick with memories.

"Your brother Edgar was still here, right?"

Jen thought about it for a second. "Yeah, he was in his seventh. I remember, because he gave me all his notes after he left…and fourth-year was the easiest ever."

Gwyn jumped up suddenly as she read the ornate clock across the way. "Oh, God, I have to get to the changing room. I'll give your love to James," she said, departing with a wink.

Jen got up as well. "I told a guy I'd meet him before the match, so I'll see you girls later." Both Alice and Lily were too engrossed in their own thoughts to ask her who she was meeting, and she left with her lips twisted in a miffed sort of way.

The two of them joined a long line of Gryffindors making their way to the pitch. Inspecting the crowd, she was shocked how few familiar faces she recognized and began to miss Remus all the more. She wondered if their letter had managed to find its way into his hands yet.

As usual, the mere sight of the arena was enough to start an audible buzz of conversation around them. Lily and Alice were among the few who remained silent as they got closer. When she finally was close enough to see the individual claws on the lion running rampant across the Gryffindor flags, she did feel a surge of pride.

_God, what if that stupid hat put me in Slytherin_. She shuddered; it wasn't the first time that fate had crossed her mind. _Would I have been up there cheering for them?_

The Slytherin team was already circling the pitch while they found their seats. _A bit earlier than usual_, she noted with a bit of unease. They probably had a reason to get out before the match was underway. Even Madam Hooch hadn't mounted her broom yet, and the box that held the Golden Snitch, the Quaffle, and the two Bludgers was standing unattended in the middle of the field.

The center box was packed with staff, many of them eager to see how the championship would turn out. Professor McGonagall and Professor Slughorn had both taken their seats on opposite ends of the booth, as far from each other as possible. McGonagall was holding a small red-and-gold flag rather primly in one hand, while Slughorn was decked out in long flowing robes. The garish green was accented heavily by the shining blackness of its accents, and after a second it occurred to her that it was must have been dragonskin.

Hagrid was there as well, not his usual place among the Gryffindor seats. He was glowering dangerously at Slughorn, who had put as much distance between the two of them as possible.

_But where was Dumbledore?_ Her question was answered a moment later, as the Headmaster came trundling up the steps and sat down next to her.

"Ah. It has been long since the days when I could choose to sit here as a Professor," he mused. "And longer still since I did as a student." He smiled down at her.

"Are you still a Gryffindor fan at heart, Professor?" she joked, quashing the urge to ask him why he'd chosen to return after so many years.

"Ah, yes. Though it wouldn't do well to declare it publicly, my heart still thumps a bit harder every time I see Gryffindor claim the cup. As it has quite often, it seems, since our young Mr. Potter joined the team."

Lily silently followed the Slytherins as they continued their route around the stadium.

"What do you think they're doing?" she asked at last.

He shrugged noncommittally. "If I had to hazard a guess, I would say they're preparing for a certain bit of rather advanced spellwork. The patterns they're drawing…" His finger traced their path through the air. "Runes, you see. Powerful old magic."

She grew nervous, tried to read the patterns. She thought one might have said 'storm' or 'blanket,' but it was unclear where it started or stopped. "What are they trying to do?"

He chuckled as he said comfortingly, "Have no fear, Miss Evans. No one will come to any harm of it." He drew a small lantern out from the folds of his robe. "Here. A little light may do you good."

She tried to puzzle it out as he stood and disappeared down the stairs. _Why would he give me a lantern in the middle of the day?_ she asked herself.

Before she could fall deeper into thought, applause and whooping thundered all around her in the Gryffindor section. Strolling out onto the field, with James at their head and the rest of the team trailing behind, the Gryffindor team looked relaxed and ready to fly. James took off first, kicking away from the ground lazily and drawing up in a slow loop as he waited for his teammates to join him.

Even as she watched them rise together, though, the Slytherins pulled up to a stop and hovered above them. She saw rather than heard Patterson shouting something, his mouth contorting widely. James flew up to meet him, and they seemed to be yelling at each other for a while. Once she even thought Hans pointed at her.

Without warning, he pulled his wand out of his robes. James was rearing back on his broom, lifting the nose slightly and falling backwards, his glasses falling askew. For a second she thought Hans was going to jinx him. Instead, he and two others behind him pointed at the sky.

Their cry was so loud that even Lily heart it. "_Ave Noctum_!" Three black beams shot up into the sky, so dark they seemed to drink in the light, like ink spots spreading against the white parchment of the cloudbanks.

_It's a spell to make it look like it's night_, she thought. _That's ridiculous._ Then she remembered. _"I hear the Slytherins are practicing at night." That's what Gwyn said._ She had thought that just meant they were working doubly hard, and no doubt that's what Gwyn had seen as well.

There were enraged whispers rising among the Gryffindors. "Wotcher reckon this is?"

"A dirty trick, looks like it to me!"

"Hooch! Hey, Hooch!" another student called out. "How can you let all this happen? What's going on?"

Madam Hooch had risen up to the Gryffindor side of the pitch and was hovering over their railing. She was not happy, although Lily wasn't sure whether it was the Slytherin's deception or their complaints that were the cause.

"Technically, I can't forbid spellwork before the match," she said. "I'm to referee the actual competition, conditions as they are when the whistle blows."

There were shouts and protests. Lily definitely heard more than one voice crying out, "Dirty trick!"

To her surprise, Madam Hooch cut them off sharply. "I've seen plenty of tricks in Quidditch matches. From Gryffindor and Slytherin alike. Now it's the rule book I care about, and the rule book I'll enforce. So sit down." Then she was off to the center.

A few Gryffindors turned to the center box in mute appeal, but as the shadows fell over it Lily could see that Dumbledore had his hands up as if to say, _Nothing I can do._

_You reap what you sow_, Lily thought darkly. The lantern in her hand was now glowing quite brightly as the sky above them grew blacker by the second. All around the pitch, torches were winking into existence, great stone basins full of flames that leapt dozens of feet into the air.

In the center, both teams had become nothing but dark shadows. As Lily watched, a handful of small white globes pushed away at the haze and showed the two teams. The Slytherins were undoubtedly quite pleased with themselves. _Their hands are free_, the thought flashed in her mind. They had somehow attached their wands to their wrists so that they could still move their hands freely.

James was shouting to the Gryffindors, and they started tearing strips off their sleeves to tie their wands down to their arms. _Well, at least he's adapting_. The Slytherins began another fly-around, this time arcing towards the Gryffindor half. As they closed in on the stands, Hans dipped out of formation and hovered right where Madam Hooch had paused only a few minutes ago.

"Hey, Evans! Just wanted to thank you for giving the Gryffindors the best practice time," he said. "Nice for them that they always got to fly in perfect conditions, eh?" And with that, he shot up to rejoin the Slytherins as they returned to the center to await the release.

_Damn them_, she thought. Angry muttering floated around her, and more than a few people got up and started leaving. She wasn't sure whether it was in protest, or simply because they could hardly see a thing. A chorus of voices started murmuring _Lumos_ spells to give them some light. Across the pitch, the Slytherin side swelled like a candlelight vigil.

Lily hardly realized the match had started until the announcer's ghostly voice floated over the arena. Without being able to see where he was, his voice sounded oddly disembodied to her hearing. She tried to picture his familiar face standing up in the announcer's box, but somehow she just couldn't fix that image in her head.

"Er, I think that was a score by Gryffindor Chaser Frank Longbottom…"

The rest of the game was turning out to be just as confused. Perhaps because no one could see much of anything, the scoring was coming at a faster pace than anyone could imagine. The Slytherins, however, had better trained for flying in minimal visibility, and were slowly building a lead. Within a few minutes of anxiously searching the dark for any sign of movement, James flashed by with a furious expression on his face—he was shouting some words at Gregory and Ada, who were holding their bats helplessly on their shoulders.

"That's—eighty-thirty Slytherin!" Lily heard muttering as half a dozen fingers pointed up at the Gryffindor goals. When she tried to see what was going on, she realized that three bobbing lights had taken places at each of the hoops. Both Gryffindor Beaters were now hovering in front of hoops.

She understood right away. It was a smart move; in the dark there was no way Dorcas could see where the Quaffle was coming from, so it was almost impossible to protect all three hoops at once. Of course, this also meant that James and the Gryffindor Chasers were flying without any protection from Bludgers.

The Slytherins were thrown off for a time by James's unconventional strategy, but the fact that Ada and Gregory were no longer flying cover was clearly taking its toll. The Slytherin Beaters seemed to have an otherworldly ability to find the Bludgers in the darkness and smack them off—at least, Lily guessed as much based on the commentary.

"And…Magwyn Dunter's been hit by a Bludger again! Hold on, she's flying by…she's only holding her broom with one hand, I think the other arm might be broken…" Apparently Gwyn had flown past by this time, however, because he couldn't provide any more information.

"I bet you anything the Slytherins are using illegal charms," Alice said beside her.

"Yeah, they had time to prepare for this," Lily spat. Alice was undoubtedly right; the Beaters probably had some kind of Hearing Charm so they could pick up the buzzing noise of the Bludgers, and had practiced tracking them by sound.

And who knew what they'd given to their Keeper, who was managing to save quite a few Gryffindor goals. This was not the same Jack Quill she remembered; even Sirius seemed too discouraged to sing that song he'd invented last year. Every Quaffle that soared within his grasp seemed to be caught or deflected.

"When did he get so bloody brilliant?" Sirius asked incredulously. She had an inkling of an idea, but didn't actually say it. _Since half an hour ago when they juiced him up with some potion…_

"Quill rips over to keep the Quaffle out, score stays at a hundred-sixty!" Intuition Syrup, Lily decided. Or Felix Felicis. _But who could make that for them…Slughorn!_ It all seemed to fit together, although she didn't want to believe a professor would stoop so low to bring his House back to glory. _Still…_

She almost immediately got the opportunity to tell someone important. She felt a finger tapping her shoulder, and when she turned around Dumbledore was standing there with a man she didn't recognize. He had an aquiline nose and lips made for sneering, framed by ringlets of hair that had once been honey-colored but were now fading to gray. For some reason, his face betrayed nervousness. She felt a fleeting moment of confusion, but guessed it must have been important. Dumbledore was acting very oddly today.

When Lily stood up, she realized she was taller than the stranger was. "Don't worry," Dumbledore said to her, "I doubt you'll miss much of the match."

The man started at the sound of his voice. "An outrage," he said in a harried kind of way. "How unfair to Gryffindor. Your own House, Dumbledore, I'm shocked you would allow this. This would never have happened at the Hogwarts I remember."

"Oh, come now, Damocles, boys will be boys." _Damocles?_ Lily thought. And then, _Oh…_

"The only poor thing," Dumbledore was saying, "is that I don't know how long it will take to catch the Snitch in these conditions. I fear the game may go on until it is _actually_ night."

Lily turned towards the man who kept shooting her nervous glances. "I don't believe we've been introduced," she said, striving to keep her voice polite. Despite what she'd told James, it _had_ been quite a shock to find that article in the _Prophet_. And now that man was standing in front of her, had the gall to talk to her about unfairness…

The man's face seemed unnaturally pale, even in the warm firelight. "I'm—I'm—"

"Damocles Belby," Dumbledore interrupted. "Lily Evans. Miss Evans, former professor Damocles Belby."

"Delighted," Damocles said, with a look that would have curdled milk.

"Now I believe you have some matters to discuss—?" Dumbledore indicated a seat a few feet away. "I'd like a word with you after, Miss Evans, if you'd be so kind."

"So—" Damocles fiddled with his thumbs.

Finally Lily decided to settle on a somewhat neutral approach. "So does the Wolfsbane Potion actually work?" _Better to clear that up first._

The man nodded. "I think so. Hope so. Just had the new moon a few days past, and once they simmer right I'll send them on to some testers before the end of the month."

"That's good. Volunteers, I presume?"

"You wouldn't believe how many came crawling out of the woodwork. Werewolves are as numerous as termites, I think." His laughter was weak and reedy, fading quickly.

"So why exactly did you decide to—?"

"To come? To speak with you?" Lily nodded, and Damocles squirmed. "Professor Dumbledore seemed to feel that I, ah, I owed you a bit of an explanation, you see…"

"Oh?"

"You have to understand," he said hurriedly. "I thought you were going to do the same to me. A young girl, still in school, it would have been a sensation. I thought you wanted the credit, and it'd really been my work you were going off of the whole time…"

"So you decided to strike first?"

He looked ashamed, and glanced down at her feet. "It was wrong, I know. I hope I can repay you…" His lips squirmed. "Dumbledore seemed to think that, ah, a small recompense for your contributions was necessary…"

His hand suddenly thrust forward, a rather hefty bag clutched there between white knuckles. "Take it, it's yours," he said. He dropped the bag in her hand, and for a second she thought of refusing it. But when she turned to say so, he had vanished back into the shadows. _Not the most sincere apology I've ever heard_, she mused. Somehow she doubted whether she would ever see Belby again.

Feeling a clinging sense of dissatisfaction, she turned her attention back to the match. A wide globe of light was racing across the sky in elliptical loops, and for a second she couldn't figure out what was going on. Then she recognized the two dark spots inside the warm light…James and Gwyn, holding three wands and flying with one hand.

_Clever,_ she thought. Of course, this meant that Frank and Harvey were now flying blind in the dark, but even as she wondered how they could see anything, they streaked by the Gryffindor hoops.

_Oh, of course…_James wanted the Snitch, that was sure. He had Gwyn with him to produce the most light possible, and was searching frantically, his head on a swivel as they flew. _And the rest of them are just trying to hold Slytherin off._ She wondered how long that gave James. The announcer's latest update had the score at a hundred-eighty to a hundred-ten in favor of Slytherin.

"One-Eighty, One-Thirty!" the same voice suddenly called out. Lily turned a shocked eye towards the Slytherin goals, but could hardly see anything. _That's what James had wanted, though, isn't it?_ Frank and Chuck might have to fly blind, but they could get the Quaffle from their own Keepers and race across the field without anyone being able to see where they were.

Of course, this meant that they could only get possession from their own Keepers' saves, or by picking off Quill's in-passes. _Not a winning tactic in the long-term_. Then she remembered the promise she'd made to the Headmaster.

She found Dumbledore in the seat he'd taken when he left her and Belby.

"Have a good conversation?" he inquired.

"Not exactly."

"But he did apologize?"

"In his own way, I guess," she said, hefting the money bag.

"Ah, yes. A crude sort of justice, money, but it was perhaps the only thing that could have been done in this circumstance."

She shrugged, stowing the bag back under the folds of her robe. "I guess it's not that bad. It is true that he came up with almost all of it."

Dumbledore was scanning the sky, though he didn't seem to find much to interest him. "It's good of you to say so," he finally said. "And clear-minded of you to see it as the truth. Not many in your position could look past the crime done to their own egos."

She blushed, and hoped Dumbledore couldn't see in the low light. But of course the Headmaster could.

He patted her knee and then changed tack. "This may seem a somewhat odd inquiry at this time, Miss Evans, but do you know what you intend to do upon leaving Hogwarts?"

She stared into the false night. In all honesty, she hadn't thought much of her future during this year. She'd just been to busy. But now that he brought it to mind…

"I guess I'll go into the Aurors with everyone else," she said. "They're looking for the most talented wizards they can find, right? They need the best. And—" She looked around furtively to make sure no one else was in earshot, but everyone was past caring and focused on the Quidditch. "It's where you want us, right? For the Order?"

To her surprise, Dumbledore shook his head. "Now, don't mistake me—if you chose that path, I would support you whole-heartedly. But tell me this, and true: do you enjoy crossing wands with a fellow wizard or witch?"

He'd cut right to the heart of the matter, hadn't he? "Not really," she confessed. It felt safe to tell him, in a way she hadn't even felt comfortable talking with James. "I think I'm actually a fair hand at dueling, but I don't love it. Not like—" She paused. She didn't mean it to sound like a criticism, but it was coming out that way. "James, you know. Or Sirius."

But Dumbledore only smiled knowingly. "There is no shame in being a sword," he told her. "But none in being a cauldron either. Both are metal shaped to suit the needs of men. Nothing more, nothing less."

_Was he telling her—?_ "But…I thought you said we would have to fight…"

"Each in our own way," he cut her off gently but firmly. "Do you think the Order is only composed of Aurors?"

She _had _thought that actually, but he was already shaking his head. "People of _all_ abilities, I said, if you'll recall. From all walks of life. Show me a man who carries only his sword to battle, and I'll show you a fool."

Lily said cautiously, "That doesn't seem so stupid."

He grinned. "Have you ever seen a man fight without britches?"

She snorted laughter, and he went on. "Perhaps the fates have not made you an Auror. Perhaps something else."

She sighed. "I feel like there's nothing else that'll be as important, though. Especially with—" She gestured vaguely. "All that."

"Yes, there is that," Dumbledore said, for all the world as if Voldemort was only a minor concern. "But I think you might be surprised. You have a talent for seeing deeply into the essence of things, Miss Evans, and a gift for quickly grasping how things come together. These are not skills not necessarily help one in the heat of battle…but one can win battles while losing wars, and win wars fighting no battles."

She shot him a puzzled look. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"The knight attacks one way, a bishop another. A rook flies straight, a queen however she pleases. Yet the thinker moves them all."

She exhaled harshly, full of frustration. _Always full of riddles. _"Sometimes it seems like you know everything that's going to happen, what everyone wants most and what they're scared of. Don't _you_ already know the key to stopping Voldemort? Couldn't you do it, couldn't you fight him for us?"

He shook his head with an infinite sadness, for a second showing his age. "I wish I saw as far as some believe I can," he said. "And I wish I held the key to defeating Tom. But it isn't so, Miss Evans. I'm afraid we passed that time a long while ago." He stood up and brushed at his robes, and she gathered their conversation was coming to an end.

"One more thing…you like learning, yes?" he asked.

"Wh—yes, I suppose I do." _I'm not going to learn Voldemort to death_, she thought with a hint of asperity.

The Headmaster nodded ponderously as he shuffled off towards the stairs. His face was half lost in the gloom, although the fond, avuncular expression still shone through when his lips quirked upwards. "Charms…Potions…we've taught you as best we were able, where we were able. But there are more branches of magic than you could believe, Miss Evans, vastly more difficult, more ancient, more powerful—and more easily forgotten. It just may be that the best thing for a learning mind…is to be put to learning." He winked, and was gone.

His words followed her all the way back to her seat, and she was so engrossed in them that she hardly noticed the noise. When she snapped out of her deep introspection, however, the sound washed over her. Cheering was greeting her return to the Gryffindor section, an exhilarated half-madness that had the seats rumbling. Sirius found her in the dark and the chaotic crowd, giving her a giant bear-hug and gesticulated wildly at nothing.

"Did you see that? Did you see that flying? It was bloody brilliant. Merlin's beard, we've won the Cup! We've won the Cup! James won us the Cup!" Behind him surged an accompanying roar, dozens of voices rising together, chanting _Gryffindor! Gryffindor! Gryffindor_!

Somehow, the whole celebration did nothing to cheer her.


	24. Bringfer's Secret Weapon

Chapter Twenty-Four – Bringfer's Secret Weapon

The news of the first successful tests of the Wolfsbane Potion swept through the school, headlined in the_ Daily Prophet_ in a detailed, multi-page spread. James's eyes flashed every time a new article was written praising Damocles Belby's genius, although he was somewhat mollified when Lily showed him the bag full of Galleons that he'd given her.

"It still doesn't make up for what he did," he insisted.

"No," she said. "But even if I'd sold the stuff for years, I might not have made this much, so I'm willing to call it even."

At least Remus was on his way back, although he'd decided to take his time with it. He was visiting dragon hatcheries in Romania, and had apparently become so engrossed with the subject that he'd signed up for a two-week crash course in dragon-rearing.

_I told them I was a werewolf_, he had explained in a letter, _but since news of the potion has reached even here, people have become much more tolerant…also, it so happens that the two weeks I'll spend with them happen not to fall across a full moon…_

James was entertaining the idea of making him a gift of the Quidditch Cup, which Gryffindor had been presented in a overblown ceremony about a week after the match. Gwyn, who had had her broken arm repaired by then, beamed proudly at her friends throughout the whole thing.

Still, it was a bittersweet spring. She and James spent as much time together as possible, but they were being buried under ever larger piles of work. Even after Lily was able to resume some of her responsibilities as Head Girl, the two of them were feeling more than a little overwhelmed. And she was still trying to figure out what Dumbledore had meant. If she wasn't going to be an Auror, what else could she do?

She resolved to tell James about her dilemma as soon as possible, but somehow it kept slipping her mind. It seemed incredibly awkward to bring it up right after they'd kissed, for instance. She didn't want him to think she was burdening him with her problems. And when they were talking about other things, there never seemed to be a natural way to introduce it into conversation, or there always seemed to be people around to overhear.

Finally, the opportunity presented itself. He caught her on her way to dinner and took her outside. It was a balmy day and, after turning in three essays she had written painstakingly the night before, she was glad to get some fresh air.

Outside under the beech tree there was a checkered blanket and a basket.

"A picnic?" Her laugh was light, touched with nostalgia.

"You like it?" he asked, an edge of apprehension in his voice.

"I remember when my parents used to take us out to the country during summers, before we started school," she told him. "They'd always say to us 'Oh, it'll be sweeter when you have school, because the summers will be even more precious.' "

"Did it end up that way?"

She sighed. "Not exactly. After I got into Hogwarts, Petunia always seemed to want to go to some camp or other during the holidays. My parents never thought it was really right to go on vacation without her."

"Ah. Touchy subject?"

She brushed his face with her fingers. "Yes. But I guess you're in the circle of trust now."

"_The circle of trust_?" he sniggered.

"Make fun of it some more, and you'll get booted back out," she said sternly. "Mm, I should actually write to her, see if maybe this year we can do it again. She'd like that, I think."

Her sister was in somewhat of a tight squeeze at the moment. Her boyfriend, a fellow named Vernon, seemed to be "vociferously normal," as she described him. This meant he generally disapproved of "the whole circus," whose broad tent apparently encompassed liberals, feminists, artists, state-welfare supporters…Lily knew she didn't want to tell him what her sister was. _But vacation's a normal enough thing, that can't cause any trouble._

By now James was lying down on the checkered cloth, and she sunk down into the crook of his arm. "Did the elves make you the basket too?" she teased.

"Hey! I took care of that part, at least. I even helped crack the walnuts," he said, pulling out a cranberry walnut salad mix.

"Didn't we work hard?" she joked, popping a berry into her mouth. They were fresh and sweet, with just enough tang. "Mm. Try one." She held one up to his face.

"I feel like that cat of yours," he said warily, but took it nonetheless.

"Don't flatter yourself, I love him loads more than you."

He laughed and pulled her in, kissing the tip of her nose. "Oh, is that so?" She giggled as he rolled over onto his back and pulled her on top of him. "What can I do to change that, I wonder?"

"Catch more mice," she said, giving him a kiss under the chin.

"Mm." He buried his face in her hair. "Whenever I open my eyes it makes me feel like I'm on fire," he said.

"What?"

"Your hair's all red and orange, and when the sun's running through it and the light's flickering I feel like I'm talking through a floo fire…" he murmured.

"Huh. If I did that with you, I'd probably only feel as if I was rubbing up against a hairy shadow."

He chuckled for a while, then said, "Do you know what day it is?"

"Saturday?"

"The first time I ever asked you out was three years ago, on this day," he said.

"Seriously?" She couldn't even remember; it had happened more than once.

He nodded. "And about a year later, you were telling me you'd rather go out with the giant squid," he reminded her.

"Yes," she said, then sighed theatrically. "Ah, that squid. The true lost love of my life."

He started tickling her. Between fits of giggling, she said, "Ah, stop! Stop, alright, not true!"

"Mm, better," James said. He got up and started unpacking a sandwich. "Oh good, they got roast beef!" He started rummaging through the rest of it, to see what little treasures the house-elves had seen fit to leave in there for him.

She munched on one of the sandwiches he threw out onto the blanket.

"James?"

"Hm?"

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about…" She explained about how she had met Belby in more detail, and about the conversation she and Dumbledore had afterward.

"What do you think he meant? It sounded like he wanted me to go off to a library and just start reading about every random type of magic I could find."

James frowned. "I'm not sure," he admitted.

"D'you think I should still just join the Aurors, then? With you and Gwyn and Sirius and all the rest?"

He shrugged. "Dunno." Then he hastily put up his hands in mock-surrender. "Not saying you're a bad duelist, because I wouldn't want to have to fight you. But he's right, you're a thinker. Maybe you're meant to find something the rest of us can't, like with the Wolfsbane Potion. Maybe something big like that, that can really change things around."

"I don't have _any_ idea what that could be, though," she complained. "I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Oh, well that's easy," he said.

"What?" She could hear the incredulity thick in her tone.

He flicked the side of his head. "Everything that's worth anything in the land of magical mysteries ends up in one place…think...where do I go to find mysterious, powerful, and possibly forbidden or plain old forgotten magic?"

Then it clicked. "You think I should become an _Unspeakable_?"

He shrugged. "Again, I'm not telling you what to do. I'm just saying, don't you think that's what Dumbledore was implying? My mum once told me how the people who work at the Department practically see themselves as a secret order, how they're completely devoted to knowing these weird things that no one else would care about. Magic that most people can't even wrap their heads around."

Now that he described it that way, it did sound extremely interesting to her. A lifetime spent with the deepest mysteries in the world of magic…she could be happy with that.

"Or he could be trying to keep you here at school," James said with a wink. "Maybe he wants a new Potions teacher, old Sluggy's finally spun one too many webs. That'd keep you near the library, so you could learn all that stuff in all those books we never have time to read."

She made a skeptical noise. "I don't think I'm cut out for teaching," she said wearily. Now that he'd mentioned the idea of becoming an Unspeakable, it had caught her imagination. _I could really do that…_

"What you're saying makes sense though," she added. "I guess I'll just have to think about it a little bit more."

"You could be good at it," he said. "Maybe the best."

She tried to imagine herself as an Unspeakable…they were shrouded in so much mystery she hardly knew what they really did. _Of course, that's the way they want it, isn't it?_ And then the more troubling question followed: _Is that what I want for myself?_

-000-

James was chatting with Madam Rosmerta when she came down for breakfast the next morning.

"Someone's up early," she mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Judging by the ceiling, it was a gorgeous day outside. Unfortunately, it was also a day that she'd promised herself would be spent in the library reviewing all the Transfiguration material that she'd been neglecting recently.

"History of Magic waits for no man," he said theatrically. She snorted; she hadn't even understood why James wanted to take that N.E.W.T., but for some reason he swore Goblin Rebellions could be as fascinating as "any old ancient rune."

"Any news?" she asked. Madam Rosmerta always brought them copies of the_ Daily Prophet_ up from Hogsmeade.

"Just the daily," Rosmerta said. "Rumors of giant sightings in upper Yorkshire. Wizards from Northumberland complaining about a new law that says pubs can only open 'til three. Ludicrous rule, I have to say." She walked off, dropping more stacks of papers on the tables.

"Hey," James said, under his breath. "Did you think at all about what we talked about yesterday…"

"A little bit," she answered. "To be honest, it's not a bad idea, I like it. But, there's so many questions. I don't know what I'd do for them…I don't even know how to _apply _for that kind of job…"

James shrugged. "My dad actually has a few Ministry contacts, I could see if he'd be willing to ask around. I mean, everyone in that Department got there somehow, and they're normal human beings. It's not like they were bred to be Unspeakables, they're just people like everyone else."

"Strange, scary people," she muttered.

"Hey, you're a strange person," he said. She feigned a look of outrage, so he hurriedly added, "That's why I like you so much."

He reached over and started giving her a back-rub. "Don't think you can make up for it just with…oh…actually, that feels good, there's a knot right there." He kept kneading the spot while she continued. "And I don't think I'm _that_ strange. Or scary."

"You're _very_ scary," he said playfully. "You should just ask some of the fifth-year Prefects, they live in terror of you. Lily the Horrible, that's what they call you…"

She hit him, although only lightly. "Shut up, you."

Just then, Madam Rosmerta returned.

"Oh," she added, "and I got a package to be specially delivered. Do you know where…" She took out a black-and-red box with a stylized logo on it. Lily examined the logo more clearly, an exaggerated set of initials. _DB, I wonder what that is…_

Reckay Bringfer seemed to come out of nowhere. He had a disconcerting habit of doing that, Lily had noticed.

"I believe that's mine," he said hastily, stretching out to pluck the package out of Rosmerta's grasp. As he pulled it closer Lily noted the scabs still dotting the rough backs of his hands. Something clicked in Lily's mind.

"Damocles Belby," she said. "That's Wolfsbane Potion, isn't it? Are you getting it to help you with the werewolf?"

His eyes shot up. "How'd you know—" Then he recognized her. "Ah, it's Miss Evans. Of course, you'd know." The way he said it lent some special significance to the _you_…_almost as if he knew. But only Dumbledore and a few others...how could he know it was me who worked with the potion?_

She brought her mind back to the more important issue. "Are you getting closer?"

Bringfer was holding the box closely, as if some kind of treasure. His eyes shone with a nearly manic happiness. "Oh yes, yes, I think it's all coming together. I'm _much_ closer now…"

For a second, she pitied poor Avus. When Bringfer finally caught up to him it would not end well for the werewolf.

"Have you ever tried figuring out if there's a pattern to his victims?" Lily asked. She wondered how Avus was choosing them. It seemed as if he picked them out of Hogsmeade, generally, or from the surrounding areas. But why was he so keen on staying around Hogwarts and Hogsmeade?

Bringfer appeared taken aback by the suggestion. "No, no, that I haven't."

James gave him a searching look. "Wouldn't it help you to know who the victims were? Maybe you can figure out who the next one's going to be, track him that way."

The hunter's lips twitched. "No one knows who the first victim was," he said curtly. "The other two were random. One was alone in the mountains, the other just out by the trails around the town."

"But couldn't—"

"No, I couldn't, girl," he snapped suddenly. "And don't you go trying to meddle in affairs that are over your head. You escaped him the first time, don't think you'll always be lucky."

Lily's temper flared, but she bit off her retort. He was right, to be fair about it. They shouldn't be interfering with the business, especially now that Wolfsbane Potion meant that Remus could return to school. _He's the one whose job it is to hunt down the thing, let him do it._

"Well, if you'll excuse me," he said, awkwardly making his way down the aisle between tables.

"That's a rude man," Rosmerta muttered after he left. "He stopped boarding, you know. Told the innkeep over at the Hog's Head that he wouldn't be needing a room anymore, he was taking to the woods. Lives like a savage!" And then she was gone, perhaps to speak to some of the teachers, with whom she was good friends.

James sat down beside her and got a glass of pumpkin juice. Just as he finished pouring, he suddenly slammed the pitcher down on the table.

"That's it!" he shouted.

"What's that?" she asked distractedly, flipping through the _Prophet._

"The innkeep at the Hog's Head," he said, voice dropping to a whisper. "Aberforth. Remember I told you he was being weird that time we went asking questions? Said how he couldn't tell us who that victim was, it was locked up in a book he had in his room?"

She said, "Sure, vaguely. What's that have to do with anything?"

"I bet you anything Avus is in that book," he said. "Avus needed a place to stay while he was coming up to Hogwarts…and that's where he met his first victim. Bringfer probably managed to guess he was there, so he took a room, but left after he realized he wasn't going to catch him in human form! He had him under his nose, but just couldn't figure out who he was!"

Lily paused to consider it. _Didn't I just promise myself not to get involved?_ But already the gears were turning.

"That could be," she said.

"I think that's what Aberforth was hinting at. He wanted us to take the book," he said.

"What?"

"He kept going on and on about it when he was talking to me, like he knew what I wanted but wouldn't give it to me. He made a big deal about telling me where it was."

"James, I'm not sure it's a good idea to be thinking about stealing from Dumbledore's brother…"

"It's not really _stealing_," he said with a hint of impatience. "Especially if the person wants you to take it."

"That makes no sense," she said flatly.

"Look, do you want to figure this all out or not? Come on, it makes sense. If Avus was there at the inn, that's how we know he got the first victim. We just need to see that book to see if he had a room—"

"So why don't we ask? Now that he knows who we are…"

"No, no, no," James interjected. "That's not what he wants. That's why he said it to me that way. If he just gave us the book…"

"Why wouldn't he want to?"

"I don't know, maybe he doesn't want Avus coming after him! If he gave us the book he'd be helping, maybe Avus made him promise not to let anyone know. Maybe they used an Unbreakable Vow."

"His guest made him use an Unbreakable Vow?"

James waved impatiently. "You can ask for it if you really want it," he said. "It's a rule at those places, they have to swear not to tell who you are. Bands and famous wizard-authors and people like that do it all the time."

"Are you serious?"

He blushed. "Well, I read it in _Witch Weekly_…remember, the one I was looking at on the train here?"

He went on despite the color rising in his cheeks "Seriously, Lily, this could be important. I'm sure it's what he meant."

Her expression remained dubious. "But what difference does it make? Even if his name's there, it won't help us catch him. Why can't we just let Bringfer sort it all out? Especially now that he has that secret weapon of his."

"If we know, we'll clue Bringfer in and he can go after him while he's still in human form. And come on, where's your sense of adventure?"

"I'm sorry, it must have fallen out somewhere _when we were being chased through the woods by a werewolf as big as your elk form_."

He pressed a finger to his lips. "Sshh! Hey, we don't want too many people knowing about—you know."

He glanced around, but it seemed no one had heard. "Why should we wait for someone else to take care of the problem? It's like Dumbledore said, we're not going to be kids forever. We can't just keep trusting that someone's going to save the day for us."

She sighed. He was right. But she'd never imagined that taking matters into their own hands would constitute breaking and entering the home of their Headmaster's brother.

"So you're in?" He was grinning, he could tell he'd won. It almost made her want to say, "No," just to give him a hard time.

But when she finally spoke, it came out as an exasperated, "Alright, I'm in."

"Great!" He jumped up from the table. "We'll need some help…don't worry, only Order members. I'll get Sirius, Merlin knows he's been itching to do something since we stopped running pranks."


	25. The Barman's Bedroom

Chapter Twenty-Five – The Barman's Bedroom

James pulled Lily aside after her last Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson before the weekend to let her know that everything was in place.

He had begun contacting Order members immediately, but it had taken him a few days to get everyone in on the plan. It also seemed best to do it when no one would have anything else to do during the day, and on a night when Aberforth would be particularly busy downstairs with his cantankerous crowd of customers.

Together they went up to Gryffindor Tower. But they hadn't taken more than three steps into the common room when Sirius darted out of the boys dormitory and leapt the stairs three at a time to meet them.

"We're good to go?" he asked without preamble.

"We're good," James said.

"Alright." Sirius turned to Lily and flashed a smile that made a crowd of fourth-year girls start giggling. "I wish I could go with you two, you know—"

"We know," James said.

Lily was slightly more impolitic. "We don't need you screwing it up."

When Sirius turned to her with a hurt expression, she said, "I'm just kidding, Black, don't be so sensitive." Instantly the smile returned, to another burst of giggling.

As they started making their way out of the portal, Sirius muttered, "I loathe that sound."

"I'm sure tons of guys hate the sound of girls mooning over them," Lily said caustically.

"Did you see that crowd?" Sirius asked. "They must just have gotten off the boats!"

"Those were fourth-years, Black, get your eyes checked."

"Hey," he shot back, "just as bad. I remember a certain girl who refused to date Homer Skively just because he was—"

Lily froze him with a stare. Shaking his head, Sirius turned to James and said, "You're a braver man than I am."

"Luckier, I'd say," James said, drawing a smile out of Lily.

"Thanks, Potter," she said affectionately, wrapping her arms around his. Sirius made a face.

"I'll turn away if you'd like a quick snog before we get started," he said. He had just started climbing up a set of steps, so Lily gave him a light push on the back to get him stumbling.

"Ah! No need to kill me, I was just fooling," he said in an injured tone.

"Fool again and it'll be a shove," she said.

James gave Sirius a hopeless look and said, "You aren't going to win this one, pal. Up the stairs, come on."

When they reached the Room of Requirement, Sirius waved a casual hello to Barnabas the Barmy. "You'll never get them à point," Sirius joked. Then he paced back and forth three times. As soon as the door appeared, James opened it and gestured the two of them inside.

"You know, James," Lily said. "We still need to talk about all this. You were supposed to _confiscate_ everything, not take it up here and hide it in the Room of Requirement."

Naturally, he tried to play it off as if he was innocent. "I was trying to keep the school from running over with pranksters, Lily. If I'd put it anywhere else, they could have stolen it back."

She fumed. "You could have vanished it or just thrown it out with the rubbish!"

He put a hand to his heart. "I can't believe what I'm hearing. Lily Evans condoning destruction of property!"

"Oh, shut up," she said menacingly.

"Does that mean I'm off the hook?"

"For now," Sirius said, interrupting their argument. He took in the room and let out a low, admiring whistle. "Alright, where is it? Let me at it."

James motioned them forward, and they began wending their way around piles and piles of…_junk_, Lily thought. That was the only way to describe what was in the room; stacks upon stacks of old textbooks, editions no longer in use or print, broken mirrors, broken chairs, broken cabinets…a few cauldrons that still had the encrusted leftovers from failed potions that had permanently damaged their containers, along with vials of old ingredients that smelled like a manure pile…a few quills floating in the air, and a flying toaster soaring breezily around the ceiling…an old statue that bore a passing resemblance to Helga Hufflepuff.

"Here it is," James said, peering at an otherwise unremarkable cabinet. The one distinguishing characteristic was a small red bird that chirped as he approached.

"Is that—"

"Kind of a prototype, say," he answered. It was exactly like the one he had given her earlier in the year. The thing was still perched on her desk, warding off anyone who came near it. Gwyn had occasionally complained about how it attacked her when she tried to borrow a quill from Lily's drawer, and showed her the cuts to prove it.

"Hey there, little fella," James said soothingly. The bird flew away and began circling. He waved Sirius forward and pulled open the drawer. "Take a look."

Sirius's eyes were bright with anticipation. His hands reached out as if afraid to touch what was inside; they were practically trembling. "What did I do to deserve this?" he asked, awe filling his voice.

Lily peered inside. In the compartment were neatly stacked Dungbombs and Sticky-Sap Squelches, row upon row, stack upon stack. The cabinet had been enchanted to be bigger on the inside, and it was fully loaded.

"It's beautiful."

Lily could only roll her eyes. "Should we excuse ourselves so you can have a good cry?"

James chuckled, but said, "Never interrupt a man when he's having a religious experience."

Sirius frowned, then. "How am I going to be able to even use all these? My God, it's too much…I'm not worthy…" He seemed stunned.

James clapped him on the shoulder. "Who is? This is too much for anyone to use—but I've got some help for you."

"Really? Who else? Peter of course…"

James nodded. "More than that."

Sirius looked pensive. "Remus isn't back yet, is he?" James shook his head. "Who would we…not your friends, I hope." He shot an accusing glance an Lily.

She put up her hands. "If James got any of them involved in this, that's between them and him."

Sirius snorted. "No, definitely not them."

James smiled. "Time's up." Then, turning around, he cupped his hands and shouted, "_Oh, Peeves-y_!"

A short, stubby ghost appeared, in clothing that had been out of fashion for centuries. He had a suspicious expression on his face.

"It's Potsy and his girlfriend," he said in a sing-song sort of way. "Why's they needing Peeves? Was very busy, springing handles off of sinks on the fourth floor." His eyes shifted back and forth. "And the Black boy. Only one in the castle Farty Filch hates more than Peeves, so I hear."

He floated in place. "Peeves, I have some gifts for you," James said, a smug sort of look on his face. Sirius was grinning as well.

"Gifts?" Interest lit up his milk-white face. Or perhaps that was just the lamp with the broken shade sitting behind him.

"As many as you can carry." James pointed at the cabinet, and Peeves swooped down, hands reaching out.

"Ah ah ah," James said, raising a wand in the ghost's face. "There's a condition." _So that's how he's going to do it_, she thought.

Peeves seemed miffed. "Peeves isn't a slave to no Potsy boy," he pouted.

Sirius was catching on quickly enough. "You'll like this condition, I think. Hear us out."

James explained what he needed done. With every word Peeves appeared more and more delighted. In the end, he carried off as many Dungbombs as he could carry, and then promised to return for more.

"Can you handle the rest?" James asked, and Sirius nodded.

"Put your faith in me," he announced grandly, "and get ready to plug your noses up for the next month."

They left him there to wait for Peeves's return and headed back down to the third floor. There they stopped on the landing, and James explained where the statue of the humpbacked witch was and what it looked like.

"The Map and the Cloak are both there," he said. "If either of us get caught, the other goes on. Agreed?"

She nodded. This was the part of the plan she liked the least. To escape from the increased security that was in place around the castle ever since the second and third deaths, they would have to crawl through one of the secret passageways that James and Sirius had discovered. The problem was that it seemed Dumbledore knew about it, because Filch was usually patrolling that area at night.

They would only have a few minutes to both get there, though, once Sirius started the diversion downstairs and Peeves had half the castle busy chasing him. That was the part that worried her—James was convinced Filch would go after Peeves, no matter what his orders had been, but she wasn't so sure.

"It's a risk we have to take," he said, sensing her doubt.

Finally she said, "Alright, sure. So you go first—"

"And if Filch isn't there, I'll give you the all-clear. If I get caught, I'll try to draw him away—"

"You won't do anything stupid, will you?" she asked, putting a hand on his arm.

"I won't."

"Promise."

He kissed her instead, which silenced her protest but didn't make her any happier. "I promise I'll get one of us to Hogsmeade," he said.

After that, there was nothing to do but go down to dinner and wait for Sirius and Peter to do their best. They got there early, and tried to eat as quickly as possible. Every time a candle flame shivered with someone's breath, Lily's eyes darted up, half-expecting to see Peeves swooping down and dive-bombing the teachers' table.

Tucking in on shepherd's pie, she spared a glance up at the faculty table. There was Dumbledore, familiar and comforting; he was discussing something delightedly with Professor Flitwick. _Sorry, Professor_, she thought, imagining the stink. She knew how many times robes had to be washed after a direct hit, and it wasn't a comforting thought.

They wanted as few people to know as possible, but she had felt too guilty about it not to tell her best friends. Gwyn and Alice had decided to eat upstairs tonight, not wanting to get caught in the riot. Without them the table seemed strangely empty, laden as it was with richly browned pies, massive gravy boats, and fruit baskets.

_Without Gwyn, the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws aren't moping around our table, either,_ she sniggered to herself. Instead, they were moping at their own tables, left even more morose as they lifelessly spooned up the grub.

A few minutes before Sirius was supposed to come down, James reached over and laced his fingers into hers. Gazing into her eyes, he said in an unusually thick voice, "I wouldn't want anyone else with me."

She was flattered, but ruined the effect by getting a bit of ice cream on the tip of her nose when she missed with the cone. When he started laughing, she gave him a generous smear across the cheek.

"Hey!" he cried out, but just then the first Dungbombs went off and the room was suddenly awash in thick black smoke.

Peeves had come in first, if everything had gone according to plan, and judging by the mad cackling above them it was indeed the poltergeist. He'd also made use of the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder that James had been waiting to use for such a long time. In the thick hazy fog, Sirius and Peter were now likely dashing more Dungbombs against the walls and tables—and probably against a few fellow students as well.

"What's going on?" Sirius's panicked voice roared out in the darkness. It was a quintessential bit of Sirius Black acting: act like the most bewildered victim, and no one would believe you were the culprit. Lily had to roll her eyes as she and James made a dash for the door, blindly groping through the masses with their hands clutched tightly together.

When they reached the third-floor landing, they ducked into a shadow behind the first suit of armor. James put a finger to his lips, then strolled out. She strained to hear, waiting in dread for the sound of Filch's voice, or the light growl of Mrs. Norris.

Mercifully, the only sound that came from around the corner was a whistle. She dashed around the end, ignoring the portraits that suddenly started jabbering at her along the way.

"Sneaking around the castle—"

"What's going on?"

"Who—"

"This is a locked corridor—"

When she passed them, they huffed and resumed their poses indignantly. She heard one say, "We're treated like dirt!" before she saw James waiting by the bulbous statue.

At first she didn't even recognize it as a witch. Then she realized she was looking at it the wrong way. The thick knobby thing was actually her back, and the massive bloat must have been…

James's knuckles rapped against it once, said, "_Dissendium_," and the panel slid open and down. The opening was only big enough for them to crawl through one at a time. She peered down suspiciously.

"It's me looking at your butt the whole time or you looking at mine," he joked. "So I think cuter butt should go first."

She stalled him with a murderous expression, and he raised his hands. "Just kidding! When you get to the bottom it's tall enough to stand in. I swear."

With a look of wounded dignity, she entered the shaft, holding her wand ahead of her and saying, "_Lumos_." The slide took her by surprise, and she gave a choked sort of gasp as she flew down. When she landed at the bottom, she rubbed her back.

"Ow, that hurt," she said. With the darkness cleared out ahead of her wand she was relieved to find that while the passageway was indeed quite narrow, it was still tall enough to stand in. She had just managed to get to her feet when James came sliding down the tunnel and crashed into her.

"Woah!" he said, grabbing at her legs to try to hold her up. This only succeeded in making her land on his stomach, which knocked the air out of him.

She was up quite a bit earlier than he was, but after a few seconds spent on the ground moaning she kicked at his side.

"Don't try and milk it, Potter."

"Broken…ribs…" he gasped. She started walking off into the passageway. "Broken…heart…"

Finally she came back and sat down at his side. "Seriously, are you okay?" she asked, concerned. As soon as she said it, though, he broke into a smile and pulled her down with him, nuzzling against her neck.

"I _knew_ you were a faker!" she said, pushing off of him. "Come on, this isn't the time for distractions." _Pleasant though they were_, she ruminated. _Better not let him know that, though_.

They walked for what seemed like ages, until finally James pointed up at a trapdoor. "Here we are. Sweet Hogsmeade, the greatest wizarding village in all of Britain."

He stepped up and set his shoulder against the panel, pushing upward. The sugary-sweet smell of a hundred different confections wafted down on them as he pulled down the movable staircase.

He went up first, and she followed close behind, darkening her wand.

"Chocolate?" James asked when she got up.

"That's stealing!" she protested.

He shrugged. "These are from France, really nice. And I'll leave them a few Sickels, that's fair enough. I'd get change if I ate this upstairs." He held the box out to her.

While not exactly approving of his odd sense of propriety, she couldn't deny suddenly feeling a little hungry. There hadn't been time for dessert, or even much of dinner, with Peeves and Sirius's all-out assault on their olfactory senses.

She grabbed one and munched thoughtfully. "Wow, that's something."

He nodded. "They say chocolates from France are magicked somehow, but the really good ones actually don't do anything to them. Everything like that, they don't really want to use any magic on it."

She'd never considered it that thoroughly. "Like your grandparents?" she asked. "With their Muggle farming?"

His lips drew up in a startled kind of smile. "You remembered," he finally said.

There was a brief moment of forced silence before he glanced up.

"This part we'll need the Cloak for," he said. He was already pulling it out of the pack. "Let's get cozy, now, no need to be shy…" He draped it over his shoulders but left his head sticking out. When he lifted his arm, she could see everything under the cloak, but somehow the rest of his body was still invisible.

"I'll never get used to how that looks," she muttered, but ducked underneath. He swirled it around them and then adjusted it to make sure they were covered up.

"Try not to eat anything on the shelves while we're up there," she told him. "The customers might think it's strange if Sugar Quills start floating off."

He gave her a dirty look, and they set off. The upstairs proved only a moderate challenge. Being a late night, any people left in Hogsmeade tended to flock towards the two inns or—in the case of couples visiting—Madam Puddifoot's. She felt a fleeting urge to spend some time there now, but quashed the wish quickly. This wasn't the time to be getting distracted.

To her surprise, however, the bulky frame of Reckay Bringfer was slouched over the counter. _Now that's curious…_A nervous Honyedukes employee was bringing back a large box.

"The box of…powdered sugar doggie bones…is that the right order?" His tone was skeptical. "I wonder if there's something wrong with the…"

Bringfer cut him off. "No, that's just what I wanted—"

James gestured towards the door and suddenly shoved it open with a bang, grabbing her hand and pulling her along with him out into the street.

"What was that?" the clerk said in a high-pitched voice.

"The wind, boy. Give it a rest, just the—" But the door closed behind them, and they didn't hear the rest.

"Why'd you have to do that so loud?" she hissed at him.

He must have thought it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Wind doesn't open doors politely," he said.

"Oh yeah," she said, feeling a bit dumb.

He shook his head. "Sorry, I forget you're not as experienced at this whole trouble-making thing as I am. Don't worry, you'll know the ropes before long."

"With you as my teacher, I don't doubt it…" She smiled fondly at him, and they streaked off into the dark. The night smelled slightly of ripening berries, with a whiff of roasting meat and the sooty ash of train exhaust.

They reached the Hog's Head, and stopped by the front door. "We're not going in _that_ way?" she objected.

"Why not?"

"They'll be able to spot us," she said.

"How?" He sounded puzzled.

"I don't know, but we can't chance it. You know how many people could be in there, what if someone gets up and runs into us? We should try to go in where there aren't people."

He paused and then said anxiously, "Alright, but you aren't going to like this."

She let him lead her along the side of the building until they were under a window.

"I hope this still works the same way," he said, before he tried to use an _Alohamora_ Charm on the lock. It clicked open and a flash of self-satisfaction crossed his face. He slowly eased it open and then pulled the cloak off of them.

"After you," he said, kneeling down and holding his hands together. Despite not being quite as experienced in breaking and entering as he was, Lily knew enough to use his boost and get through the window.

Then she understood what he meant. They were in the men's bathroom at the Head. It was about as filthy as she could have imagined.

"Ugh," she said, glancing down. She had to climb over the toilet, and was standing on the rim when James jumped up and grabbed the sill.

"Oh, sorry!" she said, and then helped him in.

"And I thought I was going to have to do it all myself," he said jokingly. Just then the door slammed open, and the scuff of boots alerted them to the presence of one of the Hog's patrons.

"Duck!" he hissed, and they both balanced awkwardly on the lip of the toilet bowl.

She could see his heavy leather boots outside the door, imagined his hand reaching out. She had to think quickly…

With a wince, she pointed down at the bowl and thought _Regurgitas_. The water surged out just as she jumped up onto the porcelain part. James was scrambling out of the way as well. Water was seeping out past the door, and she heard the man on the other side say, "Ah, hell, not another overflow."

Apparently he decided it was someone else's problem, though, because he stalked over to another stall.

"That's just wrong," James whispered to her as they rushed out of the bathroom, having donned the Cloak again.

"Just be glad it looked like no one used that toilet in awhile," she said. _God knows if I was at the Hog's Head I'd want to hold it until I left_, she thought.

He shook his head, but then said in an admiring tone, "Quick thinking though. I thought we were in deep." He draped the cloak over their shoulders and they scurried towards the door.

When they got out into the main area, she glanced around. More than a dozen patrons were seated at the various tables, and another five or six at the bar itself. Aberforth was inserting himself into a very loud, very drunken conversation taking place between three men who claimed to have stolen the Philosopher's Stone from its hiding place.

"We're immortal now!" one declared proudly.

"If you live forever, maybe you'll actually be able to pay your tab!" Aberforth retorted.

This led to some squabble about old debts, but Lily had stopped paying attention. She realized now why James had chosen to go through the bathroom. It opened up right next to the stairs up to the inn's rooms. She just hoped they didn't creak too much.

Unfortunately, as soon as they started ascending she realized they couldn't be that lucky. The sound drew a few eyes to them, but James put a hand to her backside and starting pushing her up.

"Who's that?" one of the men at the bar asked gruffly.

"Are you even drunker than you look?" Aberforth asked harshly. "The stairs creakin', nothing more. Place is settling."

"Place been here for such a long time, I don't see no reason it need to settle," one muttered darkly, but he let it drop. Lily sighed with relief as they reached the top of the stairs, James's hands still on her butt.

"You can take those off now," she said sternly, but he only grinned.

"Here we are," he said as they reached the door.

"Are you sure this is his room?"

"He told me often enough, how could I forget?" And with that, he reached out towards the door. Lily pulled out her wand, but he grabbed her hand to stop her.

"I get the feeling we won't need to," he said, then slowly turned the knob. It clicked open, and they ducked inside before closing it again.

"How could he know we'd be coming?" Lily whispered. "I swear he's like Dumbledore, he has some kind of…he can actually divine things, I just know it."

James shrugged. "Maybe he stopped locking his doors years ago. Everyone just assumes everything's locked up here, so you're actually safe even if you don't."

With that, he stepped forward and took in their surroundings. Lily joined him, and found a spare set of rooms that almost seemed as if they were waiting for another guest.

"Not much, is it?" he asked, and she had to agree. The only things that seemed to mark an inhabitant were a set of Sneakoscopes on the windowsill, and a picture on the nightstand.

"Take a look at this," James said with wonder. He was holding the picture up. She glanced at it, and then did a double-take when she realized who the people in the picture must have been.

The colors were an odd sepia-tone, but the people were clear enough. A dignified looking wizard in extremely formal old robes had his arm around a woman with kind eyes. She adjusted her hair, and he the ruffles around his collar. On either side of them stood two young men: one tall, slender, with a shock of auburn hair and the beginnings of a thick beard; the other a bit shorter but clearly still growing, with a bit of a gawky aspect to him. In front of them all was a pretty girl with brown curls.

"Meet the Dumbledores," James said.

"Can you believe he used to be that young?" she asked, brushing her fingers across the face of the slender young man in the portrait, his face full of life and laughter. The smile was the same, the smile he still showed the young first-years when they walked up to him nervously and asked if it was true he was the greatest living wizard, as their parents had told them.

"There's his desk," James said, putting down the picture and loping over to the small desk abutted by two walls.

"Bit cramped," he muttered as he slid into the seat and pulled open the drawer. An old leather book sat inside, smelling of mildew. The gold-foil letters on the cover read _Guest Records—Confidential_.

He blew a bit of hot breath on his glasses to clean them, then flipped the book open to the last page, and then back one more. "Look here, there it is," he said.

Lily took the book from his hands and read it in the dim light. "So Avus was in a room right next to a guy named William Heathrop…"

"No check-out date," James said. "Want to bet why?"

She didn't. "And there's Bringfer, room down the hall from there."

"Check out the note on the side too," he said. He pointed at the scrawled _UV _next to Avus's name. "Bet you on what that means."

She didn't want to take that bet either. "Heathrop had one too," he said. "Bringfer too, for that matter."

"Bringfer strikes me as the kind of guy who'd value his privacy," James said sardonically. "Not surprising."

She sat down heavily on the bed. "Wow, so Bringfer was under the same roof as the werewolf that whole time, but he couldn't figure it out."

James shrugged. "How could he? It'd take a month for signs to show, and the first time Avus struck, he was gone."

Lily shook her head. "It's still sad to think this could all have ended back then…this was only a few weeks into school."

He nodded, and came up and put an arm around her shoulders. "You still hated me back then," he said lightly.

She shook her head, then whispered quietly, "I never hated you, James."

He seemed taken aback by that, and they sat there together, neither sure of what they wanted to say, both having too much to get out.

At last, he took the book out of her hands and said, "Well, that's that. The next time we see Bringfer, we tell him what we've found. I'm sure he'll think it's pretty shady for Avus to have had the vow on the records…he was teaching at the school, why'd he need to hide it?"

She nodded. "So that's it?"

"Sure. We've gotten what we came for, didn't we? Let's get out of here before Aberforth shows up again."

She smiled. "How about we try a different way out this time, though?"

He laughed as he leaned over the desk, his breath making the candlelight flicker across his face. His eyes shone with amusement. "Lead the way, Lily."


	26. The End of an Era

Chapter Twenty-Six – The End of an Era

Lily woke the next morning with a strange sense of peace. Sunbeams were filtering through their windows, dappling the coverlets over her blankets and exposing a rich swirl of dust motes sparkling as they swelled and receded with her breath. She could smell kippers and the crackling heat of bacon, though the Great Hall was far away.

When she got down to breakfast, she was not surprised to find James and Sirius already had their heads together talking about the damage report from yesterday. They two of them were early risers. _Something to do with all that energy they used to put into their pranks, probably._

"Filch went after Peeves like his backside was on fire," Sirius was saying.

James's face brightened when she sunk down in the place next to him, and he said, "Good morning."

"Morning," she mumbled. She had been so hungry she hadn't yet taken a shower, and James began running his hands through her hair.

"Gerrof that," she said through a bite of donut.

"I like it when your hair's all mussed up," he said. "It makes you look like some kind of wild woman."

Sirius laughed. "I'm not sure that's a compliment most girls want to hear, Prongs."

He was grinning as well. "I suppose not. So anything else happen?"

Sirius paused to consider. "Well, I'm almost sure most of the teachers know it was us, but they can't prove anything thanks to that handy powder of yours. And if they try to charm the Dungbombs into revealing their owners…"

"Half the school would be guilty," Lily filled in for him.

"Yup," he said. "It was bloody brilliant. There were so many my _arms _were tired halfway through. Filch had to spend half the night clearing out the air, and McGonagall and Jabitha had to help him with Purifying spells."

"I thought you said you weren't interested in pranks anymore," Lily said cautiously. He certainly seemed to sound as if he still enjoyed it.

"I said I thought we needed to focus on other things," he corrected her. "This happened to be a prank that also did something useful…doubly sweet. Oh, and I made sure to nail Mrs. Norris with one of them, she was yowling like I've never heard her before."

"Bloody brilliant," James said, and he and Sirius clinked their juices of pumpkin juice together.

"So what'd you two turn up?" Sirius said, changing tack.

James turned away from making a kipper float around the table, undulating as if swimming.

"Didn't your parents ever tell you not to play with your food?" she asked, a hint of disapproval in her tone.

"No," he said, surprised. "They always said it's a good way to practice magic, actually."

Sirius shook his head. "That's why dinner at the Potters was always such an adventure."

"On the other hand," James smiled, "the Blacks were always quite flawless in their table manners."

Sirius scowled briefly, but then his expression lightened and he said, "I never minded the look of floating kippers myself. Kind of like you're eating underwater."

"To people with overactive imaginations, maybe," she said.

"That's me," he answered shamelessly. "So, out with it. What'd you get? If nothing else, you must have nicked us a bit of firewhisky, right?"

"Funny, Black," she said, before telling him about their own part of the venture. He snorted pumpkin juice up his nose when she got to the part about the bathroom, and sputtered as he wiped it up.

"That place is a dump," he said, and she went on. When she had finished telling the story, Sirius was nodding.

"So that's it, isn't it? There's our proof—we have a guy there who wanted an Unbreakable Vow…that's our victim, that's why no one could tell you two anything about him."

"Heathrop," James said distractedly.

"Right. And we have Avus, in the room right next by. There's our furry little problem."

Lily said, "And we have Bringfer, probably trying to catch him but not knowing which of the guests he was. Do you think he does now?"

Sirius's face was pensive. "He did show up to his last dueling lesson, you know."

Lily had been reconsidering just that fact that morning, as she had for a few troubled hours before getting to sleep. "I'm thinking that now he actually wasn't there for Avus. He probably just wanted to see one of you two dueling…since he'd heard you survived the werewolf, he was interested."

James smiled. "I suppose we should be flattered."

"And glad," she said. "I think Avus had half an idea to kill you during that duel."

He knit his brow. "I really don't think that was what was happening," he said. "He wouldn't have dared it in front of everyone. Besides, he was actually teaching us something interesting."

"That whole bit about inner weaknesses?" Sirius scoffed as he pushed his emptied plate away. "Rubbish. I'd rather he showed us a few more spells."

"You could do with some self-awareness, Black," she said in a scalding tone. "Don't think you don't have faults."

"Faults only exist to make girls believe you're cute when you're vulnerable," Sirius said, a play on a saying Lily's own parents had taught her once. _Faults only exist so that others may forgive them._

James rolled his eyes. "Girls must believe you're cute all the time," he cracked.

But Sirius only grinned. "They do, actually. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Lily watched him walk away and said, "That guy's overconfidence is going to kill him some day."

James disagreed. "He's smarter than you give him credit for. He knows that's his weakness."

"He should do something to correct it, then."

"There are different ways to protect a soft spot," he said, smiling faintly.

"You're trying to tell me he _pretends _to be an arrogant jerk so people will underestimate him?"

James raised his shoulders. "He's tricky."

Lily brushed some of the hair out of his eyes, then ran a hand along his jaw. "I thought you were too," she said.

"Me? No, I'm innocent as a lamb," he said.

She burst out giggling, and he looked put-off. "I don't see what's so funny about that."

"Then don't worry about it," she said. "So what's the schedule today?"

"Well, I thought I'd go through some of the written Defense Against the Dark Arts stuff. The practical part'll be easy enough after all those duels."

She wasn't so sure about that, considering it would be fully-trained Aurors and not fellow students they were going up against. "Not another library day," she said wearily. Truth be told, she _did _have to translate a few Ancient Rune tablets.

"You want something more exciting?" he asked. "Sirius is talking about going after Avus ourselves."

She gave him a look. "Isn't the full moon happening soon?"

"Tonight," he said. "Today's the last chance we have."

"But how are we going to get at him?" she asked, frustration creeping into her voice.

"You might be surprised," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"You really never read board announcements, do you?" he wondered. She blushed a bit; it was one of the things she could never seem to remember to do.

He bent his head over and whispered into her ear. "He's going to be _here_," he said. "Today. In the afternoon."

She breathed in sharply. "Why would he show himself here? He has to know that we know by now…and on the full moon…"

"He won't transform until tonight. And I get the feeling he has to do this to keep up appearances."

"How's that?"

"The reason he's here," he said, "is because he's looking to sign people up as Aurors. It's official Ministry business, he couldn't very well beg off of it and say, 'I'm the werewolf that's been terrorizing Hogwarts, not available.' "

The half-finished eggs on her plate suddenly lost their appeal.

"Just throwing the idea out there," he finished. "I actually told Sirius we'd be better off bringing it all to Bringfer and seeing what he says."

"That'd be better," she said. "But he's not anywhere around, is he?"

"No, probably setting those traps of his."

She blew out a frustrated sigh. "It always seems to come down to us, doesn't it?"

He flashed her a grin. "Come on, would you have it any other way?"

She tried to hold in her smile, but failed. "I guess not," she said. A sick feeling did rise up in the pit of her stomach when she remembered the last time they'd fought the werewolf, but there was also a sensation of brimming anticipation.

_Oh God, I've turned into one of them for real,_ she thought in mock-dread. Somehow it didn't seem as bad now that she was on the inside.

"Well, when's he going to be here?" she asked.

He clapped his hands. "I knew you'd want to see this through," he said excitedly. Apparently, if he'd told Sirius they should leave it to someone else, he hadn't done so with much enthusiasm. "He's going to be here later in the afternoon, probably before dinner."

"Yes, he'll certainly want to be out of here after then, won't he?"

He kissed her lightly on the lips, his breath tickling her when he laughed. "You're the best."

"Love you too, Potter," she said, brushing a finger across his lips.

"So what to do 'til then?"

"You did mention you had homework…" His face fell, and his dejection was so obvious that she had to suppress a giggle.

"Yeah, I did," he said. Lily knew it was serious business; with all their…extra-curricular projects, they were falling behind just as they were rounding the final stretch towards N.E.W.T.'s in June.

"Let's at least do it outside," she said.

He grinned at that. "I know just the place."

-000-

They were still out under the shade of the beech tree when Sirius found them. Lily had curled up with her head on James's leg, flipping through her translations and trying to make little improvements here and there.

A breeze rippled through the branches above, sending a few leaves flitting down. One fell on James's book, and he idly brushed it away.

"Ugh, I hate that book," Sirius said. James looked up.

"Morlock's not much of a writer, is he?" James asked. Sirius mimed falling asleep and made a bit of a snoring sound.

"Come on, we should get up to the castle," he said. "I saw Avus get in a few minutes ago, and the whole sign-up is at four."

"So he's really here?" Lily blurted.

"Yup, waiting upstairs with Dumbledore. The line's already forming up so we'd better show up soon." Avus was the Ministry's chosen representative to sign willing students up for the early program for Auror recruitment and training. The people who joined would be spending the summer after school taking a crash course in the work of Ministry Aurors, so they could see whether it was what they wanted—and the Ministry could see whether it wanted them. It was supposed to be a notoriously demanding program, though that never seemed to hurt the amount of people who wanted to sign up for it.

"Gwyn's there already, I'm sure," Lily said.

Sirius nodded. "Alice, too. With Alyssa Bagnold close behind. The three of them were asking me where you went, they expected you to be the first one in line."

His words reminded her about her conversation with Dumbledore, and then of James's suggestions. She frowned as she thought, _Is this really what I want?_

James apparently realized what she was contemplating, because he asked, "Are you going to give it a go? Or…" Sirius wasn't picking up on it; he looked confused, his eyes darting between the two of them.

"I think I'd like to give your idea a shot, actually," she said.

"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked.

"Sh," James said, "it's something unspeakable."

Sirius shrugged. "One of these boyfriend-girlfriend things I'm not supposed to know about." He smiled slyly. "I see how it is."

"I'm not signing up for the Auror training," she said bluntly.

He gawked at her. "Why not?"

"One of those _boyfriend-girlfriend things _you're not supposed to know about. I'll come with you, though, I want to see Avus."

James got up and then helped her up. "Let's get going, then. We should drop our books off first."

By the time they got to the Great Hall, there was a short line snaking around the entrance. Sirius had been exaggerating how much they needed to hurry, however. Among the thirty-odd seventh-years left, perhaps a dozen were in line.

"We needed to rush, did we," she said, exasperated.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure the two of you didn't moon away the afternoon and miss it," he said defensively. The doors opened behind him, and all three of them turned to get a glimpse of the inside.

Truth be told, she had expected more pomp and circumstance. Instead, the tall hook-nosed Auror was alone, seated at a small and plain-looking wooden table. He had a single piece of parchment in front of him, and a few quills dipped in an inkpot.

"Well," James said lightly. "No one ever claimed that being an Auror was a glamour job, now did they?"

"Who's first?" Avus's harsh voice called out. "Step up, if you please."

The sign-up process was as simple as it sounded. Gwyn was first in line, and she glanced back and gave Lily a wink as she walked down the length of the hall. When she reached the table, she dipped the quill, then scrawled her name across the top of the parchment. A light flashed from it, perhaps burning it in, and Avus leaned over to examine it. Then he handed her a large pack of paper and waved her off.

"What was that?" she whispered.

"The light or the stuff he gave her?"

"The light."

"I'm not sure. I heard the Aurors have quills that sense fear…if you're too afraid, they won't write your name and you can't join." She'd heard that rumor too, but found it slightly unbelievable.

Alice was already coming back out of the room behind Gwyn, clutching her own packet. But when Alyssa went through, she came out a few minutes later looking on the verge of tears. Alice and Gwyn put comforting hands on her shoulders and led her off.

Sirius whistled. "Ouch."

Alyssa was walking up the stairs together with Gwyn and Alice. The poor girl looked like she was going to break down. _They wouldn't have been doing her any favors, though_, Lily reasoned. When they had been younger and still exploring the castle, Alyssa had always been the first one to run at the sound of something crashing or cackling. She had been Peeves's favorite target for years.

Eventually it was James's turn. He squared his shoulders and strode into the room with a grim expression on his face. From outside, it didn't look like Avus's reacted any differently than he had with the other applicants.

The Auror looked up at James, and seemed to say a few things to him. Lily couldn't read his lips from that distance, so she was left wondering. When the light flashed across the parchment, he checked the mark and nodded minutely. Then he handed James his packet and shouted, "Next!"

Sirius grinned at her and was gone. When James came back she asked him what Avus had said to him.

"No threats, if that's what you're worried about," he said. "Just said he thought I'd make a good Auror and then said 'Good luck.' "

"Guess the tigers not showing his stripes yet, is he?"

James chuckled, and when he glanced back and saw Sirius was coming back with his packet he pulled out the Marauder's Map. He was just about to tap his wand to the parchment when Dumbledore appeared.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black. Somehow it's not shocking to find the two of you together. Are you to be Aurors, then?"

Sirius nodded, pride flashing across his face. "That's good, good," Dumbledore said. He turned to face Lily, understanding crinkling his eyes. "Miss Evans, I suspect you've been pulled in a different direction?"

"Maybe," she said. "Someone gave me some good advice about it recently."

The Headmaster looked upward. "Yes, I wonder who that could have been. A wise man, no doubt." And with a kindly glance at James and Sirius, he started through the doors.

Abruptly he turned around. "Are the three of you waiting for Mr. Avus? I'm afraid he'll be a bit indisposed…" Lily drew in her breath sharply. "For the next hour or so. We'll be sharing a drink. Now go on with you, celebrate a little." A wink sent them off on their way.

As soon as they were halfway up to Gryffindor Tower, Sirius turned back at them. "You heard him! He knows what we're up to!"

James seemed more relaxed. "So what if he does? He's not stopping us—maybe he wants us to do it."

"Do you really believe that?" Lily asked skeptically.

"Hey, he's distracting him for us, isn't he? He gave us an hour."

Lily quickly gave the Fat Lady the password, and they sunk into the couches as they entered the common room. Lily's mind was racing from one possibility to the next, each more outlandish than the last.

"So what did he want us to do with it?"

James rubbed his chin for a time, then said, "I think I have an idea." He vanished upstairs to the boys' dorms, leaving Sirius and her brooding.

When he came back, however, he had three bottles of butterbeer. "What—?"

He cut her off. "I think Dumbledore meant what he said," he explained. "He wants us to celebrate. That's all."

"But—"

"Avus will be there when we're done," he said. "Dumbledore's just holding him for us to make sure we don't lose him. But there's nothing more we can do now." He turned to Sirius. "Everyone's ready, right?"

His friend nodded. "On my honor. Trust me, everyone's good to go."

"When's the full moon?" James wondered.

"It'll be around nine-fifteen," she said. Remus had explained to them how a werewolf needed to wait for full-dark on the first night of the full moon before transforming.

"That gives us a few hours, then," he said. "If we're right, Avus will be making a beeline for the woods after he talks to Dumbledore. And we'll be on his tail."

Sirius nodded. "I can't believe what I'm supposed to do, though. Are you sure you don't want me with you?"

James nodded. "It can't be anyone else," he said. Sirius was going to distract whichever teacher was guarding the side entrance by coming up to them and telling them he wanted to confess for the Dungbomb Crime of the Century. When he was being taken up to McGonagall's office, James and Lily would take the chance to sneak out and after Avus.

"It's a noble sacrifice," James said grandly, prompting a snort from Sirius. "Now…" He set down the three glasses. "Let's enjoy this."

"To the end of the Marauders," Sirius said loudly, raising his bottle.

"To the end of an era," James agreed.

"To the beginning of the next one," Lily finished.

The three of them were just clinking their glasses together when the portal creaked open, and a familiar voice called out laconically.

"Why, it's a welcome-home party," Remus Lupin said.


	27. The Man in the Moonlight

Chapter Twenty-Seven – The Man in the Moonlight

Sirius was the first one to react, jumping up and clapping Lupin on the back.

"Good God, you look fat and happy!" he said. Lily gave Remus a once-over. He did indeed look happy, although she would hardly have called him fat. There did seem to be a bit more flesh on his bones than when he'd left, which transformed him from half-starved to comfortably lean.

"Food abroad agrees with me," he said, a smile touching his lips.

"Nothing beats good Hogwarts grub, though." Sirius drew him over to the couches. "Here," he gestured, and gave him his butterbeer.

"Oh, that's quite alright…"

"No, really, I'll just go grab another one from James's stash upstairs."

"Hey!" James cried, but the grin on his face showed he wasn't serious.

Remus sat down hesitantly and took a tentative sip. "Ah, it's a good feeling."

"Being back?" Lily asked. "Or drinking butterbeer?"

"Both," he said, swirling his bottle in the air. "I thought I'd never see Hogwarts again. At least, not for a long time."

"Well, it's a good thing you were wrong about that." James's voice was thick with emotion. "It's good to have you back, Moony."

"It's good to be back," he said. "And I think I have you to thank for that, Lily."

"You don't have to say thanks for that," she protested. "I was just doing what I could to help out a friend."

Remus leaned back into his seat just as Sirius reappeared on the stairwell. "Still. Thanks." He took a look around and breathed in deeply. "Ah, I love that smell in the air when the fire starts really crackling."

"Remember the time we almost pushed Harvey Nutcombe into the fireplace?" Sirius chuckled. "That was incredible."

"That was an accident," Remus objected.

"Right. And it just happened to _accidentally _come about right after he'd made fun of your robes?"

"Pure coincidence," James said in a mock-innocent tone. "Wasn't it Remus?"

Their friend nodded, and then looked over at them seriously.

"What've you been doing? Have the Marauders been the same without me?" He put up a hand to forestall his answer. "I'm sure Sirius has managed to pick up some of the slack."

Lily shook her head. "It's been quiet since you were gone, actually. We've been a bit busy."

He gave her a skeptical look. "I saw Filch walking around spraying air freshener around as I came in…I know what Dungbomb smells like, no matter how much lemon-scent they try to cover it up with."

James sniggered, but said, "That was only one time. And it was for a good cause, really." He explained to Remus what they had found when they'd searched the Hog's Head's records, and Remus breathed in sharply.

"You shouldn't have snuck out like that," he said. "That was a big risk to take."

"There were Dungbombs just crying out for use," Sirius declared indignantly. He was slouched on an armchair, feet dangling in the light of the flames. "Where's Peter? Now that you're back we need to get the old foursome back together…Lily can stay, of course."

"Thanks, Black," she shot back caustically.

"Actually that's a good question," Remus said a bit anxiously. "I need to be taking up residence in my little home soon."

Sirius shot him a look. He took a casual sip from his bottle, then said, "So you haven't gotten your hands on some of that potion?"

To their surprise, Remus answered, "I have. But this is the first time I've taken it. It still feels like too much of a risk…better to be safe for once."

James rubbed at his chin, then nodded. "It is better, I suppose. But that's a shame, because we could have used your help tonight…"

"What are you doing?" he asked sharply.

"Come on," Sirius interrupted, draining the last of his butterbeer and planting the bottle on the table. "Let's get down to dinner, we don't have much time."

James was getting up as well, and it occurred to Lily that she was actually ravenously hungry. _Nerves, _she thought.

"We'll explain on the way," James assured Lupin, and the four of them set off for the Great Hall.

In the hour or so since they had last been down in the Hall, it had completely transformed. Of course, having gone to Hogwarts for the past seven years, Lily could hardly claim to be shocked at how completely different it appeared. The old oaken tables were back out, lined up from the door to where the staff sat at the front of the room. Candles and torches flared and cast gentle light around the room, as did the chandeliers that hung from the ceiling.

People were already flocking around the tables. She spotted Alice and Frank close together at the Gryffindor table, and Gwyn sitting with Sam Sawbridge. Apparently she'd finally sent off her other boys, because the table had a surprising number of vacancies, and the dishes were still piled high with food.

"Lily, we've been looking all over for you, isn't this—_Remus_?" Gwyn looked as shocked to see him as she sounded. But her astonishment was replaced in an instant by a fierce joy, and she jumped up and gave him a hug.

"Your parents let you back, huh? Did you beat them down until they gave up? That's what I had to do with my Mum and Dad, they were going crazy—" She was speaking so fast he could hardly keep up with her questions.

Chortling, he said, "I got back, yeah. My Mum decided that…um…circumstances changed."

"I'm sure they did," Gwyn said proudly. "Fire and brimstone, huh? Way to show her, Remus."

They sat down together, and Alice and Frank said their hellos to Remus as well. "It finally feels like Gryffindor's back together," Frank said. "I'm glad Winstrom didn't come back though, I'd have been booted from the Quidditch team." He laughed lightly.

"I dunno," James said diplomatically. "You're a fair bit better of a flyer than Nutcombe, maybe we'd have let you stay."

Gwyn rolled her eyes. "James, you only ever kept Nutcombe on the team because of the butterbeer connection."

"Ah, right," James said, as if just reminded. "That's what it was."

They all shared a laugh, and then Sirius raised a glass of pumpkin juice. "To friends, new, old, and returning."

"To friends," they all echoed, clinking the glasses.

"Now let's dig in," Sirius continued jocularly. "Remus, try a bit of this beef stew, I swear the house-elves have come up with a new recipe…"

The conversation drifted around James and Lily, but she wasn't paying much attention. Neither was he, she could tell. Spread over his lap like a napkin, he had flattened out the Marauder's Map. Every now and then he glanced down to make sure Avus's dot was still in Dumbledore's office. Apparently the Headmaster and the Auror were having quite a round of drinks.

Lily felt a sense of dread. _Was it safe to leave Dumbledore with the werewolf?_ She knew he was the most powerful wizard any of them had ever seen, but it still seemed foolish to be alone in the room with someone who would soon transform into a vicious, merciless beast. _I wonder if he knows_, she worried.

She whispered her concerns to James, but he didn't seem overly concerned. "It'll be a few hours," he said. "Avus has to be gone before then, and if he isn't we can run up there and help him. It'll be alright…remember, if he doesn't want people to know he'll have to leave long before then."

She felt somewhat reassured, and went back to nibbling at her food. Despite the confidence he projected, she couldn't help noticing that James ate quite a bit less than he usually did. Also, his heart was a bit jumpy, judging by the necklace he had given her. She fingered it briefly, reflecting on how strange it was that she could judge his state of mind so accurately with it.

Trying to get his spirits up, she picked out a treacle tart from the dessert tray. "Split?" she asked him. In answer, he handed her a knife.

As she bit into the rich, sweet pastry, a few flakes stuck to her lips. She giggled as one tickled against her skin, and then a bit more when James leaned in to give her a light kiss. When she looked at his face, she saw that she'd only transferred the crumbs to his lips.

"That was sloppy," he said, wiping his mouth off on an actual napkin.

"Who's fault is that?" she kidded him, and he raised his hands in mock-surrender.

"From now on, kiss before dessert," he said mock-wisely. "I think I've learned the lesson."

Peter joined them a short while later, practically quaking. He did perk up a bit when he noticed Remus, and said a boisterous hello, but when he sank down into his seat he was as miserable as Lily had ever seen him.

"Wotcher, Wormtail?"

"Nothing," he said skittishly. "There's just so much stuff to remember for Transfiguration…and I couldn't focus at all today, you know, with tonight…"

"Actually, Peter," James broke in. "There's been a bit of a change of plans. You're going to spend the night with Moony."

"What?"

"He's back, so he and you take care of business." His tone was casual, but he left no doubt about what Peter ought to have picked up.

"Oh—ah, of course, of course. Great," Peter said. He did look somewhat less nauseous now. Lily felt a bit better knowing they wouldn't have to look after him in the forest. It was the last thing they needed, having a nervous wreck trailing after them and getting in trouble.

_Of course, this means James and I are going to have to go in alone before calling down the rest of them_, she thought grimly. _I just hope we can keep it going long enough_.

Just a few hours earlier, James had joked about being as innocent as a lamb. But now she wondered whether they _were _like lambs, in the sense of being led to the slaughter. She put the morbid thoughts out of mind as best as possible, but they kept creeping back in.

Gwyn seemed to sense her anxiety, because she patted her hand. "We're going to be right after you," she said. "Once the sparks go up, we'll clear out."

Lily squeezed her friend's hand and tried to display more surety than she felt. "It'll be alright, won't it?"

Gwyn seemed sure of it. "Of course. Five or six of us against a werewolf? And we only need to hold it off long enough to bring that hunter down on him from wherever."

That was the part of the plan Lily mistrusted the most. Instead of coming up with a way to catch him—they'd assumed it would just be too difficult—they were trusting in Bringfer to come and subdue him. _Ideally before he even transforms,_ she thought.

The problem was no one knew how much of a window they had. If Avus chose to head out to the woods only minutes before the transformation was set to begin…they hoped he would go early and they'd have a few hours to tangle with his human form. Formidable of a wizard as he was, it was like Gwyn said—if they cornered him against five or six opponents, he didn't have a chance. Either they'd take him out, or Bringfer would come down on him.

"You'll have to excuse me now," Remus said smoothly as he rose from the table.

"Oh, no appetite, Moony?" Sirius joked.

"It's a bit heavy," he said. "After eating with the French, you start wondering."

But his friend only scoffed. "They've made a _mademoiselle _of you, Remus."

James chuckled. "I think French women everywhere have just taken offense, Sirius."

Remus gave them a last wave and nod, then headed off with Peter in tow. Hopefully by the time he left the Whomping Willow in a few days, they would have taken care of Avus and everything would be back to normal. It'd be a relief when the most intimidating thing heading at them was N.E.W.T.'s. _Bad as those are_.

The banter had the odd effect of calming her. It reminded her that, despite whatever difficult tasks lay ahead, they would still be friends, and there would always be time for lightness as long as they were together. She smiled over at Gwyn and Alice, and seeing their somewhat apprehensive but determined faces, thanked the fates she had found such brave companions.

A memory of first year seeped into her thoughts, a vision so bright it was as if it had happened yesterday. _"My name's Magwyn, yours?"_

_"Alice."_

_"Mine's Lily."_

_"I like your names, they're pretty. I hate my name."_

_"Why?"_

_"It makes me sound like some old hag." The young girl in her mind's eye scrunched up her nose._

_"I like it," Lily said. She wasn't lying, it was unique, it rolled off the tongue._

_"How about we call you Gwyn?" the short, raven-curled girl next to her suggested._

_"Gwyn?"_

_"Yeah, like just the last part." She looked nervously at her feet._

_Gwyn smiled. Even then she was head and shoulders taller than them, but when she smiled she made them feel as if they were all on a level. "I'd love it," she said. Then she'd touched a lock of Lily's hair._

_"I love that color…"_

Those girls were long gone, Lily knew. In their place she looked at the friends she had been left, friends as close as sisters. Now that they'd all grown, Gwyn's height no longer seemed so intimidating; and Alice's shortness had transformed from "adorable" to "cute." At least, it certainly was in Frank Longbottom's eyes. And looking at them, it occurred to her that she wasn't truly afraid for herself anymore.

A comforting thought entered her mind. _As long as we're together, no one can hurt us. We'll protect each other._ Her gaze expanded to encompass not only the two girls across the table from her, but Frank and Sirius. And James—James most of all. _We might each have our own little weaknesses,_ she realized, _but together we make each other stronger._

It was a good thing she picked up the confidence boost because, just then, James started out of his seat. "We've got movement," he said darkly. "Avus coming out fast."

Lily stood up and checked in her robe to make sure she had her wand. They didn't have the Invisibility Cloak—that they'd loaned to Gwyn, Alice, Sam, and Frank. The next part depended on Sirius.

"Ready, everyone?" she asked. She was glad to hear the iron in her voice and not the worry. _I need to sound strong, need to put everything else out of mind…come on, come on…_

Gwyn spoke for the four who would be coming after them. "We're ready," she said firmly. James acknowledged them briefly, then turned to Lily and Sirius, who'd leave with him first.

"Then let's get going," he said. "Sirius?"

"Get ready for the best acting you've ever witnessed," Sirius promised. "I'm going to do guilty like you've never seen guilty before."

The three of them paused outside the doors to insure that Avus had left. His dot vanished out from the main entrance as they pushed open the doors and entered the main entrance area. Before the carved ash shuttered back, Lily got a last fleeting glimpse of her friends still sitting at the table. She smiled, but by then they'd already disappeared behind the thick wood.

"Alright, let's do this," she breathed. "You first, Sirius."

He darted forward without saying a word, winding his way through the side passageway that led to one of the smaller entrances.

"I wonder who it's going to be," he said distractedly. "McGonagall will be furious, but that'll make her easy. Slughorn wouldn't want duty anyways…Jabitha's tougher, though, she's suspicious, like a fox, that woman…"

James and Lily took their places in a side classroom as Sirius's voice faded. Since they were right next to the door, they heard it creak open and heard the rush of wind from the outside. Apparently it was going to be a stormy night, judging by the sudden coolness that blew through the room.

She heard Sirius's voice drifting in, and was disturbed when she realized it sounded surprised and animated. Even a little angry. She caught a bit. "What are…why you…Slug…huh?"

James was peering intently at the map at her side. She could feel her heart thudding in rhythm with his, felt the sweat on her palms. Wiping her hands on her robes, she chanced a look around the corner.

A pair of distrusting dark eyes instantly caught hers, a look full of scorn and fury. "I should have known you wouldn't have come alone, Black," he growled. "Out with it, Evans. You might be Head Girl, but that doesn't mean you get to traipse around wherever you please."

Lily bit back a curse and felt James's hand on her shoulder. She considered pushing him back, so he could still be hidden, but before she could Snape yelled, "Potter? I know you're there, get out here, don't bother to try and hide!"

Together, they walked out of the classroom. Sirius was standing warily towards the side, his wand half-lowered. Next to him stood a bust of an old headmaster, a man with whom he shared a queer resemblance… in any case, Lily didn't want to dwell on that for too long. She turned her attention back to Severus Snape, whose lanky figure was swathed in dark robes that seemed to drink in the last of the sunlight.

"What are you three doing?" he demanded.

"Like I said," Sirius retorted, "we just thought we'd take a little walk. Get away from the castle. Sometimes you find the company a bit unpleasant…" He gave Severus a look so as to leave no doubt who he meant.

"Yes, I've had that feeling as well," Severus said icily. "Unfortunately for you, I'm of the belief that one should contain their feelings…and follow the rules as we've been told." He spared Lily and James a glance. "You two should know that."

"Look, Severus," James said in a pleading tone. "We really need to do something, you have to understand, it's not something bad, it's important…"

"Don't try to lie to me, Potter. You think you and Sirius ever do anything innocent? Or for that matter, useful? This is another one of your stupid jokes—"

Sirius cut him off with fury in his voice. "No, it isn't, you sniveling idiot, now get out of our way—"

Severus brandished his wand threateningly in Sirius's face. "_Or what_, Black? I'm the one who was trusted by Professor Slughorn to keep students in the castle…and I don't intend to fail."

"This isn't about your stupid power trip…"

The wand jabbed closer. "Shut up! You goddamn bastard!"

James put his hands up in a peaceable gesture. "Woah, calm down, calm down, you two."

Lily jumped in to try and help him. "Severus, they're telling the truth, this has nothing to do with a prank or anything. Would I be helping them if it did?"

He gave her a scathing look. "I have no idea what your Mudblood mind would decide in that circumstance," he countered.

Beside her, she could almost feel James's teeth grinding as he clenched his jaw. The muscles in his neck were taut, but when he spoke his voice was mercifully restrained.

"Severus," he said at last. "I know we're not friends, and probably won't ever be close. But just this once, listen to me. I'm sorry about every stupid thing we've done to you, and I hope you can forgive us, because right now we need—"

"You need to _walk upstairs_ right now and spend the rest of the night where you _belong_!" Snape hissed. "With your Mudbloods and half-breeds and…"

"_Stupefy_!" Sirius shouted, aiming the spell at Snape's feet before he could finish speaking. James and Lily dove out of the way as Severus fired a counter-curse—not at Sirius, but back at them. Thankfully, one of Filch's pristinely polished coats of arms shielded them.

"I never thought these shields could come in handy," Lily gasped. She already had her wand drawn, but James grabbed her hand. "Get off, we need to help him!"

But he shook his head. "Too narrow of a way, we couldn't be sure we wouldn't hit Sirius." He spared a glance over his shoulder. "He can take care of himself."

"_Pugnacio_!" she heard over the crashes of suits of armor falling to the ground. As they watched, Snape flew past them, held by some invisible hand that smashed him against a wall and then carried him out into the other hallway. Sirius ran past quickly, wand at hand.

"Get out of here!" he yelled. "I'll take care of Snivellus!"

James gave him a quick salute with wand in hand, and then grabbed Lily's hand and started pulling her towards the now-open entranceway. She shot a quick look back over her shoulder. Green flashes sparked around the corner and got frighteningly close to hitting Sirius. But he was shielding them off with a _Protego_ Charm, sending them ricocheting off the walls and leaving scorch marks on panicked paintings.

They made their way across the grounds in record time. Across the field, the Whomping Willow looked to be slumbering peacefully, its branches cutting their narrow silhouettes against the blood-red of the setting sun. They had to take a slightly circuitous route to avoid Hagrid's hut, where the lights were still on and they could hear an odd crooning, as if someone was singing a lullaby.

It was a typical spring day, with a hint of storm coming on. The light was somewhat diminished by the dark bruises of storm-clouds hanging ominously over everything, although there were still few enough that they could see the sky, which was grading down from pale yellow to light violet and then a dark blue. The first stars were just becoming visible, and the fat dollop of pale bone-white that was the full moon.

"I hope we aren't too late," James muttered. "Bloody hell! Why did Snape have to be there? Snape of all people, bloody hell!"

She tried to calm him down, but he was beside himself. "It was Slughorn, wasn't it? That damn ingrate, never does his job and spends his time in his room eating his snacks. Dumbledore ought to hang him out a window!"

"By his ankles, I hope," she joked.

The anger seemed to drain out of him when he turned back to look at her, and he gave a curt laugh. "Not what I was thinking, but maybe I'd settle."

"Which way did he go?" Lily wondered when they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Once again those cold black-barked trees leaned over them, though now with a full foliage of green leaves they did not seem so grim or overbearing. The wind whipped through them, tearing leaves off and blowing her hair back into her eyes and face. She pulled it behind her, but gave up when she realized she didn't have anything to hold it back.

"Damn Snape!" James shouted again. In the time it had taken them to get past the door, Avus had already long since slunk off into the woods.

"Alright, calm down," she said. "We'll just have to get through the way we did before. Walk around and try to find him…and hope maybe he ends up finding us."

He certainly didn't look thrilled with the prospect, but after awhile he acknowledged it was the only way they could get in. Pulling his wand out of his robes, he held it loosely at his side and together they plunged through the bushes.

"I hope everyone still made it out," he mumbled. "Hopefully Sirius took care of Snape, too."

Walking in the forest during spring was drastically different than it had been in the fall. Although the ground was still covered with mulched leaves that had resurfaced when the snows melted, it was no longer as dry or cool. The soil felt damp beneath them, and the wetness soaked through the pants around her ankles and made her shiver when a breeze stirred.

Mercifully, however, they also had more light. When it wasn't dark the forest no longer seemed as frightening; indeed, she was able to even look at it as any other wood, just like the woods in the parks near her house. _Albeit with centaurs_, she thought. _Unicorns and great gilas and who knows what else_. And the sun was setting fast.

They made their way through relatively slowly, trying to look for any footprints or other signs that someone had passed through. Though they split up from time to time, they always tried to keep within seeing distance of each other. Given what was in the forest, she was glad for that small comfort.

Suddenly, she heard James's choked cry. Looking around madly, she tried to figure out where it had come from.

"Lily!" his voice rang out again, this time from her left. She burst through the low shrubs and around a few tall elms, trying to find him.

"James? I can't see—"

As she rounded a redwood she found him at last. He was standing mutely above a massive body. At first Lily thought it might have been a unicorn, but then paused. There was something odd… the fur faded away as it reached the torso, and then there were the muscular, human-like arms that came off the body, and the face, which looked as if it were sleeping.

"Is he dead?" she whispered, dreading the answer.

"I don't think so," James said, to her relief. "I think he's been stunned though, you can tell because his pulse is still there but he won't wake up normally."

"Do you think we should revive him?" she asked, uncertain about what to do. Centaurs were not known for being the friendliest creatures, and she got the feeling that this one wouldn't exactly thank them. _Especially if he thinks we're the ones who stunned him in the first place_, she realized.

James must have been thinking along the same lines, because he shook his head. "I'm sure there are others…let them take care of him. We need to keep going. If Avus did this, he can't be far off, and we're not so far behind."

She started off again, but then he said, "Wait. This time, let's go together." He strode forward and grabbed her hand, and for a second his face twisted.

"Do you think—" His voice faltered. "Do you think we're doing the right thing? About, you know, him…about Avus…"

She scrutinized his face, saw the doubt there. "I think we are," she said, more confidently than she felt. She gave his hand a tug and they started walking forward, but he still seemed uncertain.

"I just—it's like I was telling you on the train…sometimes I wonder if I'm doing all this because I just want to do something heroic or special." His voice carried over the soft sighs of the trees above them and the wind flapping in their eyes, and she had to shush him.

More quietly, he continued, "We're…we're doing the right thing, aren't we? The good thing?"

When she turned to look at him, it occurred to her that she'd never seen him so unsure of himself before. "We are," she said, sympathy welling within her as she realized he had the same doubts she'd had, all along. It made her more confident about what they were doing, somehow.

"We are," she said again, more firmly. "And James?"

He turned to her. "There's no one I'd rather do it with," she told him, squeezing his hand.

His shoulders grew less tense. "Thanks," he said. The gratitude in his voice was almost overwhelming, and she didn't know what else to say. Suddenly, James pulled her close and kissed her so passionately it obliterated all sense of time. Slowly, he withdrew, drawing a soft finger across her cheek.

"I love you," he stated simply, leaving her breathless and speechless.

The moment passed, and James straightened up and squared his shoulders. Then they continued on, deeper into the Forbidden Forest. Both of them were more than a little nervous after having found the unconscious centaur. It seemed every little sound—every pop of a branch underneath their feet—sent them dashing behind the nearest tree, wands drawn.

When they heard the cry, both of them nearly jumped out of their shoes. It was an eerie sound, sharp and yet lulling, and full of pain. Lily turned to James.

"That didn't sound anything like a werewolf," she said, dreading his response. _Tell me I just heard wrong,_ she pleaded silently. _Please._

"No," he said, confirming her suspicions. "Whatever that was, I haven't heard anything like it."

"Do you think we should—I dunno, see what it was?" Her voice betrayed a bit of anxiety, and her heart was hammering like a double-time drumbeat.

"It—well, it might be him," James said. "Maybe that's not him as a werewolf, but maybe he stumbled into something else and startled it."

She nodded. That was the conclusion she had drawn as well. There was no point trying to avoid it. "Alright, let's go, then."

They followed the sound in a vaguely north-easterly direction, threading through the underbrush and trying to duck down behind large trees. If Avus really was there, they didn't want to be seen too soon. Lily wondered if their friends had managed to get out of the castle after all. They should have been behind them, somewhere—but they hadn't had a chance to meet up at the edge before going in. _We should have waited for them_, she realized regretfully.

The sound cut through the whipping air once again, and she jerked her head in its direction. Sweat was pouring down her spine, making her shirt cling tightly to her back. The third time they heard it, she was more prepared and didn't jump. By listening more carefully, she realized they were slightly off in terms of direction. It was actually just a little bit further to their right…and it was much, much closer than it had been the first time.

"There's a clearing up ahead," James whispered at her side. "Come on, he might be there."

The first rumble of thunder rolled across the hills just as they reached the line of bushes that obscured the field ahead of them. Rather than crashing through them, James crouched down. Lily followed his lead, peering through the narrow gaps.

When she saw what was waiting for them, she had to stifle a gasp. James's eyes were wide, whether with fear or excitement she couldn't tell.

Not ten feet from where they were, Michael Avus was crumpled on the ground, a nasty gash across his forehead slowly seeping blood. The rest of his face was covered with sweat and looked feverish, exhausted, and pale. _Almost like Lupin_, she thought fleetingly.

Avus's tall frame didn't look quite so intimidating when he was sprawled across the ground, leaves stuck in his robes. In fact, from this angle, she realized how bony he was. His knuckles stood out on a blue-toned hand, which trembled as it drew his robes tighter around his chest.

It occurred to her that since they'd entered the forest the last bit of sun had crept down under the horizon, because it was quite dark now. The light that showed them the scene was not coming from the sun, but from a ring of torches lit all around the clearing.

Across from them, Reckay Bringfer was crouched down on one knee, wand in hand and a cruel smile on his face. In his other hand, he held tightly to an immense chain. When she followed its glint, she saw that it led to the struggling head of the largest bird Lily had ever seen.

_A Great Shrike_, she thought. _Merlin's beard, Alice had it after all._ Just then, Bringfer started cackling madly, his laughter harsh and grating.

"After Heathrop was killed, you still thought you could do it? You're only one man, Avus. Albeit, one unusual man," Bringfer said gloatingly. He was holding the bird back quite effortlessly, although judging by the gouges it had left in the dirt the thing must have been immensely strong.

The Auror was gasping weakly at his feet.

"Yes, that Shrike bite is quite nasty. It really puts the fear in you, doesn't it? Yes, I can _taste_ it…" Bringfer was clearly relishing this moment, which he'd likely been anticipating for the better part of the year. Part of Lily was fiercely happy as well; he'd finally made good on his promise, and the werewolf was caught at last. Still, there was something sinister about the way he'd laughed…

"You liked the bird, didn't you, Avus? Nice touch, I have to say. It stopped those damn owls from flying out of Hogwarts without pissing themselves, too, that was a nice bonus. When things start falling apart there won't be time for anyone to write for help, or send word out…yes…"

_What? _Nothing he just said made any sense. Why would Bringfer want to stop communications from getting outside Hogwarts? He was working for them, trying to catch Avus…

_Oh no_, she thought, comprehension flashing in her head. _How could you have been so stupid? Oh God, Avus wasn't the werewolf all along._

"Well, now let's make an end of this, I know you'd thank me if you could speak…" Bringfer held his wand out at the ready. "_A_—"

Avus's hand whipped up faster than she could have imagined, and he was poised to fire a spell right into Bringfer's chest. Lily felt a brief moment of triumph, but then she sensed James surging forward from beside her.

"_Expelliarmus_!" James's voice roared out, and before Lily could stop him he was rushing out into the field. A wand flew off into the distance, making a soft swishing sound as it fell through the brush.

Avus drew his hand back as if scorched. "What did you just do that for?" he spat out, clutching his hand as if burned. _James doesn't know_, she realized, dread sinking in.

"Wait!" James was waving at Bringfer, trying to hold him off. "He might be guilty, but you can't just kill him. He couldn't help what he was doing, and besides you need a trial—"

She desperately wanted to reach back in time and pluck him out, hold him back and tell him what was actually going on. _James, I got it all wrong_, she wanted to say. _I got it so horribly wrong, how could I not have seen it? _But it was too late.

Bringfer was scrutinizing him closely, apparently trying to judge whether he knew yet. James stood his ground calmly, wand in hand, feet splayed as he stood in front of Avus. The Auror was trembling slightly, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head.

Lily knew she didn't have much time. She aimed at Bringfer's wand hand, held her wand at the ready, and burst out from their hiding place.

"_Expelliarmus_!"

"_Expelliarmus_!"

The two of them shot their spells at almost the exactly same time, but somehow his came faster. He also ducked down as hers whizzed by, ricocheted off a tree, and extinguished itself in the dirt at its base. When his spell struck her wrist she felt a blinding pain, and then her wand had clattered off a log and was rolling in the center of the clearing. _Too far_, she thought mutely, _I've failed._

Before James could react, Bringfer had disarmed him as well. "What—?" James sounded bewildered.

Bringfer looked almost nervous for a second, but then he said, "Get out of the way, I'm not going to hurt you. I need _him _dead, though." His voice was a low growl, and his own wand was now drawn. "Get out of the damn way, I said! Don't interfere in matters you don't understand!"

Lily took a place next to James, still trembling. "Stop. You aren't going to kill anyone tonight."

Bringfer's smile was vicious. "And you're going to stop me, little girl? You and that pup? Without wands?" He nodded at James. "I don't think so. Get out of my way, it's time for me to end a little problem that's been bothering me for months…"

He strode forward, and James looked uncertain. "He deserves a trial—" _James, he's not the—_

"You stupid fool," he werewolf's voice grated. "He's not the goddamn werewolf."

"What?" James's voice was pained, and also touched with an uncomprehending note.

"James," she said urgently. "He's telling the truth…Bringer, it's him…it's always been…he's the one we've been looking for."

Now James's head jerked up at Bringfer, and he raised his wand as well. "Wha-what are you talking about, Lily? Avus was always here—you saw him on the map, he was hiding during full moons…"

"_Hunting_ him," Lily said. "Not coming back to find victims. We had it all wrong, Avus is probably the one the Ministry—"

"Oh, very clever. The little Head Girl figures it out." Bringfer's ugly hands, still scabbed over, were waving around madly, the nails almost like claws. "I wondered when you would…I've been searching your things for months, trying to find a sign."

Several memories clicked into place all at once. _His hands_, she thought frantically, _always cut up, like something had been pecking away at him._

"God, that little bird of yours was a pain," he seethed. "I have a bird of my own, you see, bigger and nastier, but he learns from a few good cuffs. Not like yours. I wanted to crush it, but every time I grabbed for it, it'd fly away…but you two can't fly away, now, can you? No special tricks for you."

He laughed again, a barking sound that echoed off the trees. Behind him, the Great Shrike was scratching madly at the ground, trying to pull him in the other direction. "God, when I found you weren't on to me…when I found you were working on that Potion…" He threw his head back. "My God! A cure? Girl, you don't understand, we don't _need _a cure…the cure's been there all along. It's _blood_, plain and simple."

He took a step forward, and Lily felt herself edging backwards. "Stay where you are," she said, her voice unusually high-pitched. _God, I must sound like a twelve-year-old_.

"Or what? I'll fix you up like I did Heathrop," he said acidly. At that, he spared a glance down at Avus's limp form. "Your friend, what a help he was, eh? Went out by himself and had his throat torn out, that's what happens when wizards tangle with _wolves_. Even Aurors."

He licked his lips hungrily. _The man he killed was an Auror,_ Lily recognized faintly. _How are we supposed to stop him…without wands?_ Despair clutched at her heart, wrapping its icy fingers around and chilling her.

"Why, though?" James wondered. "It doesn't make any sense, why are you _here_?"

Bringfer shrugged. "Didn't I tell you something once about prey, boy? Give them enough bait, and they'll come."

Lily tried to puzzle out what that meant, but his voice drowned out her thoughts. "I'm sure his precious Head Boy and Head Girl are more than enough bait," he said, his tongue playing across his lips.

And it all fell into place. Bringfer wanted _Dumbledore_, now it all made sense. He'd orchestrated everything, probably left them just enough hints to keep them going, tried to get them to come after him. He'd done it all so he could get Dumbledore, Dumbledore was the prize all along.

"You let us get away, that time in November," Lily said. It wasn't a question, but Bringfer answered anyways.

"I didn't want you dead, I wanted him to come after you. But I couldn't hold you down when I was—" His lips twisted. "Like that. I needed to get you while still—a bit more capable. But how?"

He grinned again. "And that's thanks to you, Head Girl. Thanks to your little potion…" As if on cue, a cloud shifting aside and the pale blue moonlight fell on them. It glinted dully in Bringfer's eyes, and then he raised his face up to the heavens and inhaled fully.

"It's been ages since I looked up at the full moon and didn't change," he said. "To be honest, I like it better when I get to hunt now…I've come to enjoy the taste of it, you know. But that form wasn't exactly good at holding hostages, was it?" His laugh had more snarl than amusement to it.

_His secret weapon_, she thought bitterly. _We thought that Wolfsbane Potion had something to do with his trap…_Well, in a way, it had. Just not the way they were anticipating.

The first drops of rain were beginning to fall, and the sky was black as pitch above them. At first, Lily took the rustling of the leaves to be just another sign of the wind; but then there were shadows moving between the trees, stepping forward into the clearing, black ghosts moving out of the forest.

"Who—?"

"Allow me to introduce you to some friends," he said. "I'm afraid they're rather bashful about names…but they'll answer to 'Death Eaters.' Grab those wands." He indicated James's first, which had fell into a patch of grass, and then Lily's, which was lying in the dirt halfway between them.

He waved his own wand at them. "Don't think about trying to fight them," he warned. "They all have their own."

As if on command, the three cloaked figures pulled out their wands. While raising them to aim at the two teenagers, they began slowly coming closer to pick up their fallen wands. For a brief moment Lily thought they were going to kill them or stun them…until a half-dozen spells shot out from the darkness.

"_Expelliarmus_!"

"_Stupefy_!"

"_Incarcerous_!_ Incarcerous_!"

Two of the Death Eaters fell to the side, bound by heavy ropes. The others fell behind cover, dropping to the ground next to logs or other loose debris. Bringfer hadn't been attacked at all, however, because Avus had been hit with both the Disarming Charm and the _Stupefy_ spell. _My fault_, she cursed inwardly. _I should have seen it._

But it wasn't time to digest her own mistakes. She hoped there would be time for that later, after they escaped. Instead, with the lull that their friends' surprise attack had given them, she tried to gauge the situation.

As the Death Eaters regrouped, it became clear how badly her friends were outnumbered. Without giving it a second thought, she ran forward and dove for her wand. Spinning around, she caught a glimpse of James fighting hand to hand with a Death Eater who had his wand in his left hand—James was holding the Death Eater's own pointed off to the side.

"_Stupefy_!" she cried out, aiming the spell well behind the Death Eater so there would be no chance it hit James. She knew it would miss, but it was enough to startle the man, who was a good deal smaller than James anyways. As she watched, James wrenched his wand out and then clocked the cloaked man with a right hook.

"That one's not in the spellbook, but it still works," he said.

She surveyed the scene. The fight had slowed down. The Death Eaters had retreated with Bringfer, who had to drag the furious Great Shrike along in his wake. They'd crashed through the underbrush on the other side of the clearing, and were aiming curses and hexes at them from behind trees.

On the other side, Lily's friends were doing much the same. Alice and Frank were leaning off of either side of a behemoth redwood, firing blindly in the hopes of hitting someone. She and James ducked into the copse where they were.

Across an open space, Gwyn was pressed flat against a narrow tree. Taking cover behind a log were Sam Sawbridge and a boy who Lily recognized with a start. _Hans Patterson. The Slytherin guy._

Past them, there was a trio of girls who she vaguely recognized. Dorcas Meadowes's face was instantly recognizable, her otherworldly beauty only enhanced in the low light, her eyes wide and alert. The others were Ravenclaws; the names Rose Warner and Molly Ipsen popped into her head.

_I don't really know how well they can fight,_ she thought. _I hardly know them at all._ She had had the occasional conversation with Rose, who was a homely-looking girl and nice enough. Ipsen had struck her as a bit conceited…She tried to quash those worries now. They didn't have time to be picky about their allies now, with branches exploding into dust and dangerous splinters all around them.

_Maybe we're not that outnumbered, not with all these people…_They were still outclassed, though; most of those dark wizards wouldn't still be waiting to pass their N.E.W.T.'s.

"Who are we fighting?" Gwyn shouted. "Do we even want to be dueling with them?" Clearly they hadn't come up early enough to really understand what was going on, so Lily tried to fill them in as quickly as possible.

"Bringfer, he's a Death Eater, brought some of his friends along with him. Yes, you want to be shooting at them!" To encourage them, she shot out a particularly nasty Hobbling Hex and rejoiced inwardly when she saw it hit a female Death Eater in her off-leg. She immediately collapsed to the ground, and was lost in the shrubs.

Alice ran up behind her. "What do you mean, Bringfer's a Death Eater?" She herself shot off a few _Impedimenta_ Charms, but their opponents were too well concealed.

"He's the werewolf!" she cried, "not Avus! Avus was what he said he was, he was just working with the Ministry!" James was trying to help boost Sirius up into the trees lower limbs. Apparently they guessed he might have a better angle on the Death Eaters from up there.

When they realized what the two of them were up to, Bringfer's allies started shouting. Whenever someone leaned out to point at the tree, Lily tried to nail them with an _Expelliarmus_ attack. Unfortunately they still must have managed to get the point across, and Bringfer's face flashed in her field of vision for a second before an _Incendio_ Charm lit the top of the tree on fire, transforming it into a roaring brand.

Sirius jumped back down and fell behind the redwood. "I guess I don't want to do that after all," he said, panting slightly but otherwise in high spirits.

"Glad to see you're enjoying yourself," Lily said tensely.

"Oh, I try." And then he vanished again, running off along the trees to their side. He waved at Gwyn and the Ravenclaw girls as he went, and Lily quickly realized what they were trying to do. It was dangerous, but they needed something to break the stalemate…

"Bloody hell!" she whispered, remembering. She turned to Alice and asked, "Did you guys let anyone else know?"

"How could we, we went right after you…after Sirius finished stunning Snape we all ran straight to the forest!"

"I'm not blaming you," Lily said hastily. "It's just…" She raised her wand to the sky and sent a trailing line of red sparks up into the air. "We need some help now, and I don't think we should be worried about getting into trouble anymore."

Alice nodded, then said, "Let's give Sirius and Gwyn some cover." She dropped down behind a fallen tree and shot some particularly fluorescent curses out from under its sunken branches.

"It's so…hard…to get a…clean shot," she heard Frank saying through gritted teeth. Just then, one of his curses sent a tree falling across the Death Eater's improvised bunker, and they scattered.

"Watch—"

It was hardly enough warning. Driven out, the hooded figures attacked with renewed determination, coming out into the clearing.

"They're going to pin us down!" Lily cried, even as Frank was hit with a jinx that made his nose practically explode in a spray of blood. Alice dropped down at his side and grabbed his hand, but all she could do was perform a quick spell to staunch the flow. Frank was out cold. He didn't seem to respond to _Ennervate_ Charms at all.

"We need to get out of here!" She grabbed her friend's arm and pulled her away from the trees.

"Frank—"

"We can't help him if we don't fight them off!" She tried to do as she said, and started shooting off jinxes at every dark figure that moved around them. Alice soon joined in, hovering protectively over Frank's unconscious body. _Hopefully just unconscious_.

Lily ended up dueling a particularly stocky, barrel-chested Death Eater. If they'd stood side by side, she doubted the man would have come past her chin; but he might still have outweighed her by a good sixty pounds, judging by how thickly he was built.

"For Voldemort!" he cried in an unexpectedly squeaky voice, spraying curses off at her. She did all she could to dodge them, and threw up an occasional _Protego_ Charm to bounce the worst of them off her. Yet gradually she was giving up ground, being pushed back towards a tree.

_Think, Lily, think…_Her memory flashed back to James's duel with Sirius, and the trick he'd used. And since she was taller than him she did have a pretty good view of what was directly behind…

"_Accio Stone_!" she screamed, just as he raised his wand to ready another curse. With surprising suddenness, the large boulder came rumbling up out of the earth and shooting towards her. It took her a second to realize that now she had no way of stopping it, so she ducked out of the way just as the rock crashed into her opponent and knocked him down face-first. She heard it thud dully against the tree, the shiver of dozens of leaves falling through the air, and then the low groan of the Death Eater.

Without waiting, she jumped up and hit him with two _Stupefy_ spells in quick succession, which she hoped would put him out of commission for the rest of the fight. She gave herself just a moment to catch her breath. Then she ran off through the darkness, trying to find her friends by following the sounds of struggle.


	28. Head Boy

Chapter Twenty-Eight – Head Boy

The first one she found was Sam Sawbridge, writhing on the ground and screaming as two Death Eaters stood over him. One was a woman with short spiky hair poking out around her hood, the other a man with pale blond hair. They were chuckling, as if watching an amusing program on television.

Rage filled her, hot and fiery, as she raised her wand. Before either of them had realized she was there, she hit the woman with such an array of curses that she doubted the Death Eater would be getting up any time soon. _At least, not without an extremely sore face, boils all over her body, and legs dancing like mad_, she thought with a sense of grim satisfaction.

The man, however, had melted away into the trees just as she'd started shooting. The woods were dark, so she wasn't sure which direction he'd gone after jumping around to hide behind the nearest beech. Wary of an ambush, she still ran over to Sam's side.

"Are you alright?" she asked, feeling his forehead. The sweat was blazingly hot, and he was obviously dazed. "Listen, just lie down, wait it out. Help is coming soon." She wasn't sure of that, but she wasn't about to tell that to Sam. He needed reassurance now, not her doubt.

Another trail of red sparks shot high over the forest. Lily wondered whether this was another one of their friends calling for help, or a sign from their rescuers to let them know it was coming.

She didn't have time to waste waiting for someone else to arrive, though. She could feel the doubled pace of heartbeats, one in her chest, one resting against it, and surged through the darkness. The thought that James might be in trouble seized her with an almost physical pain, a searing sense of worry that overwhelmed her concern for her own well-being.

By now the rain was pouring in earnest. The ground was fast becoming slippery and treacherous, the mud slick in some places and like a sandtrap in others. Her feet made squelching noises as she slogged through, ducking between trees to try to catch a glimpse of the nearest duel.

The necklace James had given her was now burning hot against her skin, its hammering pace faster than she had ever felt before. She held it in her hand and let herself feel his heartbeat for just a moment. _Where is he?_

The wind had picked up enough that the lower, thinner branches were lashing out like scourges. As she cut through the narrow spaces between trees, trying to get as much cover as possible, she felt a half-dozen cuts spring up on her arms from the trees whipping around her. Ignoring the pain, she chanced a _Lumos_ spell with her wand. _Hopefully this doesn't draw all the Death Eaters down on me_, she thought. When she finally broke into empty space she found a stream fast overflowing its bank, the rush of its angry waters audible even over the storm.

It was disturbingly quiet here—not at all silent, with the constant thrum of the rain and the water, but quiet. She could hear her own panting, and feel the heavy drumming in her ears from her heartbeat. She strained to hear…_there_, she suddenly thought, hearing a crashing sound coming from the other side of the clearing.

_I must really have gotten turned around in this place._ The fighting had been disorienting. She couldn't even guess which direction the first clearing was, the one where they had found Bringfer and Avus together. And she couldn't have told anyone how to get back to the castle from here. But the only thing that mattered now was getting to whichever one of her friends was in trouble.

She plunged through the brush again. The sounds of spells firing off, ricocheting, and striking tree trunks were clear and distinct, and she was able to slog through the muck to reach a small knot of trees that were closely spaced together.

The first person she saw snake out from around a tree was obscured by the thick, sodden folds of a black cloak, and she fired off a Stunning spell at him. Unfortunately, his reflexes were quite fast, and he blocked her off. His white-blond hair flashed an unnaturally pale blue color in the moonlight.

"Attacking from behind is dishonorable, girl! Who taught you how to duel?" His voice was laden with anger, but his rebuke was cut short when Alice dove from around another tree and aimed an _Impedimenta _jinx at him. It struck a glancing blow, and he barely managed to stumble around an oak before Lily shot off another _Stupefy_ spell.

"Are you two cowards? Little girls too scared to face me alone…there's a reason they call it _dueling_, you know." Lily thought she heard a note of fear in the man's voice behind that sneer, and she had no doubt about the character of this Death Eater. Brave enough when the odds were in his favor, clearly, but not one to fight when he thought his own skin was at too much risk.

_Keep him talking and circle around_, Lily thought. Alice had had the same idea, because she was coming around the left side. Lily started coming around wide, cutting off his escape to the right.

Without warning, she was struck with an unbearable pain. Before she even had time to think a scream tore out of her chest, so raw she felt something tear in her throat. As she collapsed to the ground, her wand rolled out of her hand. Mud was matting her hair and covering half her face; the other half could barely register the soft patter of raindrops against her cheek.

She heard the sound of grunts from above her, and then a crashing sound of branches and twigs snapping. The pain was gone, but she could hardly breath…_No fainting_, she scolded herself, trying to will her limbs to move. Somehow it felt like she was pushing against four heavy logs.

Then gentle hands were rolling her over, and a panicked voice was calling out from far away. _Who's that?_ she asked herself, the name _Alice_ floating into her mind. _Oh, right. She was the first one to show me how to use Way Witch makeup._ Somewhere she acknowledged how absurd that thought was, but it didn't seem to matter.

"Lily? Lily?" Alice was still shaking her as her vision began to clear.

"Alice," she mumbled thickly. It hardly sounded like her at all, deeper and harsher.

"Ow," she managed. Then, as her thoughts pulled themselves together, "My wand. I need…wand." She felt the smooth wood pressed back into her hand, and closed her fingers around it.

"I'm not sure you should get up, Lily. He really did something nasty to you…"

"Unforgivable," she croaked. "It was the Cruciatus, I think." They had learned the names and functions of the Unforgivable Curses in Defense Against the Dark Arts, though she had never been close to seeing one in action before. _Nasty stuff._

She groaned and made an effort and sitting up. This ended in her rolling awkwardly to her side and grabbing onto a rotting trunk for support.

"I can get up," she insisted. "Need to. Help me up." Alice reluctantly put her hands under Lily's armpits and pulled her up to her feet. Her muscles felt like jelly, but she shook her legs out and then gave her friend a weak smile.

"Come on, we have people to rescue," she joked. Alice nodded without saying anything, and the two of them ran off in the vague direction in which the Death Eater had disappeared.

They hadn't gone more than a few steps when a warping sound made them turn their eyes up to the sky. A green light filled their vision, and then an image exploded out under the clouds. It seemed to coalesce out of a dull viridian vapor, pulling together until she began to recognize the features.

_Some face_, she guessed at first, but then realized what it was. The skull above leered down at them with hideously empty sockets that wept thousands of teardrops, and the snake that lolled out of its mouth like an overlong tongue had venom dripping from its fangs.

"God, what is that?"

"Nothing," Lily said determinedly, dismissing it from concern. "Probably just a scare tactic."

"At least it lets us know where they are," Alice said with a resigned tone. She hadn't thought of that, but her friend was right—they could use it to track whoever had cast it.

"Let's go get them, then," she said. Her legs felt strong enough to run now, so she set off at a moderate jogging pace, leaping over the smaller obstacles and clambering over or under the largest logs.

Her senses felt like they were extending out, stretching time. It was as if they were underwater, soaked through to the bone, with a dappled green and blue light playing over the ground. And everything was so _slow_, she wondered how they could ever reach their friends in time. It felt like they were drifting across an endless stretch of barren land, and there was nothing waiting for them at the end of their fruitless journey.

"_Expelliarmus_!"

"_Gladiuso! Gladiuso!_"

The cries awoke her instincts, and she pulled her wand out. Not even sure what was happening, she saw a dark shape flying out of the brush and fired an _Incarcerous_ jinx at it. The body thumped to the ground as ropes entangled its feet, but the man started rolling away before Alice's Stunning spell could reach him. He pointed a wand down at his legs and a white light slashed apart the ropes.

It was the same Death Eater, she realized. His cowl had fallen while he was rolling and now she saw a man with icy eyes and skin even paler than his long, bedraggled hair. Mud covered his robes and dotted his face, which was set in an expression of pure hate.

"What do I have to do to be rid of you?!" he screamed, firing a series of hexes at them. Lily warded the first off with a _Protego _Charm, and ducked behind a tree to wait out the next few. When he paused briefly she swung around grasping onto the bole and fired a _Serpensortia_ curse.

Before it could reach him he flung it to the side. "You _dare_ use the Dark Lord's own symbol?" His voice had risen, and thundered through the woods. Somehow what she had just done enraged him more than anything else.

_Get him angry_, she thought in a sudden flash of realization._ That's the key, that's his weakness._

She scoured her mind, and then shouted back, "I don't care what dirty animal your half-blood Lord uses as a symbol."

His response was a wordless snarl, and she knew she had him. Ducking around the other side, she fired a _Stupefy_ spell well wide to his right. He was so absorbed with her that he wasted a _Protego_ Charm to ward it off. While he was flicking his wand to the side, Alice did what Lily prayed she would and hit him with another jinx.

The Death Eater was suddenly picked up and hurled over the nearest shrubs. They lost sight of him, and then heard the splashing sound that let them know he was fleeing. _Good, let him run all the way back to wherever the hell he came from._

Lily ran out into the space that he'd just so abruptly vacated. Alice came out from behind her cover as well, clutching her wand tightly in front of her.

"Did I get him?" she asked. Apparently she had shot the curse off blind.

"I'll say you did," Lily replied with a grin. "He flew like his butt was glued to a broken broom."

Two cries broke into their brief respite. From their left came a deeper voice shouting, "Help!" while from the right came the wordless cry of the Shrike.

"Bringfer," Lily said grimly, gesturing to the right. "He's mine, go help whoever that was."

Alice hesitated for a second, but then said in a worried tone, "Please…be careful, Lily."

She tried for a cocky grin, not sure how James managed to pull it off so easily. "Don't worry about me," she shot back. "I'm not going to do something stupid."

Alice laughed. "No, you're not." Their eyes met for a second, then they both nodded and ran off in their separate directions.

It didn't take Lily long to find the Shrike, since its cries were growing more frequent and more frenzied. When she found it, however, a flash of puzzlement came across her. _What's going on here?_ The bird's chain had been tightly wound around a thick tree, and a thick metal bolt was holding it in place. When the thing saw her, it flapped its wings and screeched.

She ducked backward involuntarily, even though it was too far away to do her any harm. _Those claws still look pretty wicked_, she admitted to herself. The talons were flashing through the air as it jumped up and tried to beat its wings. Every time, however, it just ended up landing awkwardly back on the ground, the chain choking off its breath. She felt a flash of pity for the thing. _It didn't ask to be chained up_, she knew.

Then she saw what was behind it, lit up when James's voice roared out an _Incendio_ Charm. A heavy swirl of flames blazed and revealed the entire dull, bowl-shaped concavity in the hill. It was held up by old gnarled roots, and was barely big enough to allow room for two people…and there stood James and Bringfer, locked in a duel together.

At that moment Lily wanted nothing more than to rush in and help him, but now she understood why the Shrike was there. _Bringfer didn't want anyone interfering_, she thought. The Shrike's intimidating bulk completely closed off the fight behind him; Lily could only glimpse flashes when the bird raised its wings.

Cold fingers of fear seized at her heart, fear beyond any she'd ever felt before. _Don't let him hurt James_, she thought pleadingly. Then she ran forward and tried to get close to the Shrike. _If I can just get it loose, I can help him._

Unfortunately, it didn't seem as if the Shrike was particularly willing to help her out. As soon as she got within striking distance, it lurched forward and snapped at her nastily with its razor-sharp beak. She dropped to the ground, only to feel its talons rake through the outer edge of her sleeve as she rolled away again.

"Woah, calm down, girl, calm down." Was it even a girl? She wasn't at all sure. Somehow it felt like the right thing to say.

Approaching it more slowly this time, she said, "Calm down, it's okay, I'm here to get you free, girl. Shh, shh." She held a hand out tentatively, an offering. The bird clicked its beak warningly, but this time it didn't strike out, so she got closer.

"Come on, come on, it's alright." She tried to use the most soothing tone she had. There wasn't much magic to calming any sort of animal, she knew; it had to be done the hard way. _God, now I really wish we'd had Care of Magical Creatures…I could have used the practice…_Still, thinking of James in the cave, and hearing the sounds of their voices in the cavern, she continued forward.

She was within a few feet of the Shrike when it folded its wings inward. She drew her breath in sharply. The sight of the duel was beautiful and terrible, a cascade of light and sparks shifting through all the colors of the spectrum faster than her eyes could follow. The thickly packed dirt around them swallowed up any misaimed spells or ricochets, so neither of the combatants had to worry about being particularly careful where they shot.

James fired off another _Incendio_ spell, and a roar of fire filled the carved-out space so entirely that she saw loose twigs bursting into flame, and knotted roots blackening into ash. In the fullness of that light his face had assumed a newly mature aspect; his jaw seemed thicker and stronger, his cheekbones harder. His glasses drank the warmth in and made him seem half a demon.

It was as if he had aged ten years in the space of seconds, and she could read all the complex emotions playing across his face: the desire to protect his friends, his hatred of the dark arts and Bringfer himself, his anger at being deceived and at the damage that had been done.

He was in his element now, and an unexpected thought occurred to her. _This is the Head Boy Dumbledore knew he was choosing_, she thought. James had doubted it, had told her how he had wondered why Dumbledore wanted him…but now she saw it. Erased of his self-doubt, encased in the simple surety of what was right and wrong and what needed to be done, in the heat of the duel, James was finally allowed to be himself. Both a good wizard, and a great one.

It was something she wanted desperately to tell him, something she felt he needed to hear. She wanted to let him know because he might not have known it himself…but now wasn't the time. _After we finish the bad guys_, she reasoned to herself. As she watched, Bringfer, barely shielded from the heat, scrambled across the ground on all fours. With his size, it was an absurd sight—like some kind of oversized and horribly hairy baby. Her hand reached something smooth and unyielding, and she realized it was the Shrike's beak.

She looked back with a start. The bird was nuzzling against her hand, making a sound that seemed almost like purring. She sighed in relief. _I'm coming, James._

With that thought, she said soothingly, "Let's get you out of here now, come on, lift your wing…" The Shrike seemed to understand, because it let her duck underneath its body. With a simple Vanishing spell, she disappeared the blunt-headed iron spike that was holding it in place. "You're free…" she whispered.

"Got you!" a triumphant voice cut through the darkness. She ducked around the other side of the bird, so her back was against the tree. The chain made a clanking noise as it began falling to the ground, the Shrike already tugging it around the trunk.

Across her, the Death Eater they had fought earlier was standing with his arms crossed. He seemed relaxed for some reason.

"Got trapped by Bringfer's little pet, did you? Good, now it'll be easier to finish you off…"

_Stall him_, she thought, hearing the slow rattle of the chain, seeing the tautness of the metal links leading up to the choker. _Just a few seconds…_

"Why are you working for the Dark Lord?" she suddenly blurted, then inwardly cursed herself. _It sounds like you're asking him why he chose to work for some company, stupid._

But to her surprise he lowered the wand. "Why, because I've been forced to by an Imperius curse," he answered with an unctuous smile. "Or at least, that's what the Ministry will hear if ever I'm captured. Which I doubt I will be…by riff-raff such as your sad little band of friends."

_He's calm again_, she realized. _I can change that, though._ "Why really?" she pressed. "Are you one of those half-bloods that hates himself so much you pretend to be pure around your Master?"

"You call _me_ half-blood? _My_ family? _Girl_—" Whatever he was about to say, she never got a chance to hear it. As the final loop of the chain started winding around the tree, she gave it a rough kick to send it spinning around, and the Shrike was free. Without needing any more initiative, the bird sprung forward and beat his wings furiously, taking to the air and then descending upon the Death Eater. _Smart bird_, she thought. It clearly remembered those who had kept it in captivity.

"What—" He managed to choke off quickly before the bird came down and raked him heavily across the arm. He screamed as the claws slashed him, and then as quick as that the Shrike was gone, soaring up into the stormy sky with the rain streaming off its tail feathers.

With that distraction, Lily brought her wand to the ready and cried, "_Expelliarmus_!" His wand flipped end over end as it flew from his hand, and before he could make another move she had Stunned him.

She hadn't even had a chance to catch her breath when Bringfer came surging out of the cave, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste. He'd been the one who originally trapped James and him in there alone, but it was quite apparent he had since decided that wasn't the best course of action.

"Lily!" James cried out as he came out after her. The moment of hesitation gave Bringfer the chance to scramble up over the ridge.

"No time," she said frantically. "Let's get him!"

But he came to a stop and gasped, "It's..." His hair was matted with sweat and his face was drawn and tight. Now that he was out of the fight, he appeared exhausted.

"Are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

"I'm fine. Come on, let's go after him." She wasn't sure he was being completely forthright, but at the moment they couldn't afford to catch their breaths and regain their energy.

They set off after Bringfer as quickly as they could run. It was easy to track him through the forest, since he wasn't exactly trying to be quiet. In the process of tearing through the woods, he was leaving behind a wake of destruction that a blind man could have followed.

Unfortunately, he was still fast. When they saw the dark flash break the treeline ahead of them, James looked over at her grimly. Between heaved breaths, he said, "He's…making…for Hog…warts."

Lily set her jaw. Maybe Bringfer still wanted to finish the job and was going after Dumbledore. She vowed that she wouldn't let that happen, as long as she could raise a hand and fight with a wand.

James grabbed her wrist for the briefest of moments; his grip was hard and his hand was disturbingly cold. "Together," he panted.

When they burst out from the Dark Forest, they saw Bringfer streaking across the lakeshore. They hadn't taken more than two steps, though, when he turned and started cackling. "The young never stop and think," he said cruelly. And now she saw the dark shapes separating themselves from the surroundings…one from behind the beech, two from the woods behind them.

"Last words?" Bringfer asked, raising his wand to glimmer in the moonlight. The other dark wizards were approaching them as well, wands at the ready.

"Yeah," James said. Bringfer frowned, unsure what he meant to say.

"I love Peru." Before she had time to puzzle out what he'd meant, he'd thrown something at the ground at their feet. _Instant Darkness…_she realized, before diving out of the way. The thick black smoke that suddenly filled the air obscured their vision, but it also made it impossible for the Death Eaters to aim their curses accurately. It occurred to her that it was even more dangerous for them, since they had surrounded them; any stray spells might strike their allies.

The powder only gave them a brief moment of respite. That moment was all they needed, though—at that instant, she heard the sound of branches whipping around and the splashes of feet jumping through puddles.

"_Incarcerous_!"

"_Stupefy_!"

Their friends had made their way out of the woods and resumed the fight on open ground. As Lily got up to her feet and out of the cloud, she immediately began dueling with a woman whose red-gold hair was eerily similar to her own.

She shot off a _Serpensortia_ spell at Lily. It wasn't tremendously troublesome, however—she just flicked her wrist and sent the snake soaring off into the lake. When Lily shot off a few of the more difficult hexes she knew, the woman apparently decided to reconsider and fled into the black cloud still obscuring half the field.

Lily spared a moment to survey her surroundings. She was glad her friends had come, but now she saw that the situation was worse than before. They were fighting in open ground, and it was more difficult to find natural shields for duck and cover. Also, they were only evenly matched in numbers. Only Sirius and Gwyn had made it out of the woods, and she wondered with dread where the others were. _Hopefully just knocked out._

Following the sound of his voice, she found James dueling Bringfer once again. Stepping around to Bringfer's back, she started attacking from his other side. The werewolf gave them a vicious smile, then spun so quickly that they didn't have time to counter. Now both of them were more or less in front of him, on opposite sides.

"Come on, try me," he said, mockingly encouraging.

James surged forward and fired off a Bat-Bogey Hex, which caused Bringfer to fall back spitting curses as he waved at the dark shapes falling in at his face. He shot off spells indiscriminately as he fell back, and James was forced to drop to the ground.

Before she could react, one of the spells hit her. It was a _Pugnacio_, she guessed, judging by the force with which it hammered against her stomach. The wind was knocked out of her, and perhaps a rib or two was broken. When she got up from the ground, rain blurred her eyes and she felt a screaming pain in her leg. She had landed awkwardly on it, and in her blurred field of vision she registered James and Bringfer dueling fifty feet away.

_God, did he throw me that far…_She was right on the lakeshore now, practically next to that vast and perfect mirror. Yet when she rolled over on her side—biting back a groan—she saw that it was now a chaotic surface, constantly being bombarded by a thousand raindrops.

She struggled to her feet, and was just leaning on one knee when that pain struck her again. Once again her mind seemed to be blinded by it, and all her thoughts were erased in searing agony. Every time she even began to form something coherent, it shattered apart into a thousand white-hot splinters that struck every inch of her body.

She heard herself moan incoherently, and wasn't sure whether there were tears on her face or the rain had grown strangely warm.

Then it was gone, and she sobbed with relief. Her hand clawed against the grass, feeling its coolness sliding between her fingers, and the mud underneath. She dug her nails in and tried to pull herself up, and saw a brief flash of Gwyn standing over her firing jinxes off.

She shot a quick glance back at Lily. "Are you alright?" she asked breathlessly.

Lily reached a hand up, tried to mutter out some reassurance or thanks. She never knew exactly what she wanted to say, though, and never managed to get the words out of her frozen throat.

At that instant, a hate-filled voice spat out a curse Lily had never seen used before, a strange, alien sound that cut through the darkness.

"_Avada Kedavra_!"


	29. Head Girl

Chapter Twenty-Nine – Head Girl

The rain had stopped, though the air was still cool and tasted wet against her lips. When she opened them she wanted to say something, but it was long forgotten. Lily looked down at her legs, felt puzzled when she realized they seemed perfectly fine. _Why can't I move?_ she wondered. She felt delirious and exhausted, desperate to sink into a deep sleep without dreams.

When she opened her eyes the whole world was silent, and the sky was a rich mosaic of sunset light. She turned her head slowly to one side, inspecting the crumpled mound of robes in front of her. A Gryffindor seal stood out on the sleeve, spattered with mud. _Who's that?_ she asked, but it wouldn't come to her.

The lake was clear, as beautiful as it had been on the first day she arrived at Hogwarts. Its waters shimmered as the last fingers of sun brushed across it in the gentlest of caresses, tracking to their horizon far off in the distance. Like silver it shimmered, with an occasional flicker of deep gold like a fire dying in its depths. They were sitting under the tree now, talking and remembering. Her friend's hair was blowing in the wind, golden strands snapping and curling like spun sunlight.

Lily remembered.

She remembered the time when they had all tried to swim out as far as they could. Gwyn won, even back then a good ten centimeters taller than any of them, with a reach to match.

She remembered sneaking out of the school at night to watch the moonlight on the soft waves lapping against the shore, talking about the boys they had loved more than anything in the world, those early months of third year, the infatuations that had faded and the ones that had lasted.

That was the year Alice had first met Frank Longbottom, the memory flashing up into her mind, a shy boy who had found them out after dark but promised not to turn them in since it would get him in trouble as well.

That was the year James and Sirius had blown up the girls' bathroom on the second floor, and she and Alyssa had flooded the boys' on the third in retaliation. Even Sirius had admitted that their charm was "about as good as the one" he had done.

She remembered sitting under the beach as the first breezes of spring, carrying the barest hints of warmth, had come over the water and melted the snow on the branches. She remembered the drops falling on their heads like chilled rain.

She remembered how much Gwyn had loved the spring, had loved using charms and spells and even simple knowledge from Herbology to make plants grow. She had grown the most beautiful roses and orchids and tulips, in a little patch of Professor Sprout's garden. The smell wafted over the entire grounds if they all blossomed together.

And she remembered how Gwyn would lie out in the sun during the Easter holidays, soaking in sun and watching the occasional Quidditch practice. She claimed it was to see what rival teams were up to, but somehow she seemed to pay undue attention to attractive male players for "scouting" purposes.

She and Alice had had a habit of always picking the same player to fancy at the same time, which led to the inevitable arguments about who was going to end up getting him.

She remembered a dozen textbooks sprawled out in the thick grass, which curled like earthy hair around their notes as they studied for exams. Remembered watching her notes fly away and hopelessly trying to charm them back into a neat and ordered pile while her friends had laughed and laughed.

For the first time too, she remembered seeing James dangling Severus Snape by an ankle, remembered how furious she had felt at that overgrown man-child who was so enthralled by his abilities at Quidditch that he believed himself entitled to anything. And she remembered how her friends had insisted the two of them were perfect for each other every day for the rest of that year while she feebly protested, remembered how they would sit outside for hours and idle away the time, forgetting about all the work that they had left unfinished in the tower.

She remembered a lifetime of memories spent by this lake, sitting on the very spot where they now sat.

"Do you remember all that?" she asked, and Gwyn was nodding sadly. When Lily searched her eyes, there was fear in them. But Gwyn was almost never afraid, she was brave to a fault…she only looked like that when she had to tell Lily or Alice something she knew they wouldn't want to hear.

"I remember," she said wistfully.

"We've been at school so long I don't even know how we'll adjust when we get out of here." Her fingers curled around the grass, which had warmed itself throughout the day.

Gwyn's shrug was slow. "I don't think that much will change," she said in a thoughtful sort of way. "Won't have as many ghosts to deal with, probably."

Lily insisted. "We're never going to get to sit by the lake here again, just wasting our time talking and laughing."

Gwyn laughed, a light sound that had her own special lilt. "We can talk anywhere. And laugh, too."

"It's not the same."

"No, it won't be," her friend told her unflinchingly. "It can't be the same, otherwise we'd never know we were moving on."

"What do you want to do this summer? Last school holiday," Lily reminded her.

Gwyn's face darkened as if a shadow had fallen, and a frown set on her lips. "Don't worry about that. What are _you_ going to do?"

Lily's eyes searched the mirrored surface of the lake, but there were only mountains and the wispy white reflections from above. "I guess I'm going to try to go into Ministry work," she said. "The Department of Mysteries, actually."

Her friend was taken aback by that. "I never thought you'd become an Unspeakable," she admitted. "I guess it's not something you imagine your friends doing."

"It's just another job, isn't it?"

"Of course," Gwyn hurriedly said. "I didn't mean it's bad, just that it's not…not what I expected."

Lily's shoulders were weighed down by a sense of disappointment. "Do you—so you think…maybe I should do something else?"

"I don't know. I guess I never really wondered about you, always figured…well, I had this picture in my head, of you being an Auror. You and James, I mean. I mean—you were together, and so you were both Aurors, you worked together."

"Oh," she said, her voice sounding small.

"You two just always worked like a team," Gwyn said.

"Always saw us together, didn't you?"

Gwyn nodded firmly. "I always knew…only one who didn't was you, Lily. And—and don't hate me for saying this, but it was rather stubborn of you to refuse to see it."

Lily only sighed. When her friend didn't say anything, she added, "I know, Gwyn. It was stupid of me."

Then she thought deeply about what her friend said, about how she and James could work together as a team. She hadn't considered that before…but even as it occurred to her, she started to dismiss it.

There was a sickness in the pit of her stomach, an exhaustion that sank into her marrow. _I don't want to constantly be fighting_, she thought. _Dumbledore was right, I'm not the one who should be fighting battles…there are other ways. And James's words sounded in her thoughts. "You could be good at it…maybe the best."_

"I don't think I'm going to do it," she finally said. "I'm not a fighter like you are, Gwyn. I'm a different sort of person."

Her friend reached out and took her hand, and gave it a squeeze. "I know. You're different. But you're still a fighter," she said. Her voice was firm but fading. "You—you're stronger than you know…now go back to them."

"What?" Her mind swirled, confusion blurring her senses.

"Go back," Gwyn said, and released her hand, "go back. The fighting's almost over, we've won…Give them all my love…our friends…"

And when Gwyn's voice was gone, Lily found herself in the sodden mud, kneeling and holding her friend's cold hand, unable to remember for her life when in the course of the battle Gwyn had died.

"Get up, Gwyn, get up, it's not funny anymore," she whispered, rocking. Her hand laced around the coldness that had once been Gwyn's long, delicate fingers.

"Gwyn, we're winning. I can tell we're winning."

Indeed, it seemed like the Death Eaters were being driven off all around her. Sound returned to her in a rush: the splashing and squelching of boots thundering along the slippery ground, the shouts and calls coming from both sides, someone roaring, "Get back! Get back!"

With a wild sense of joy, she saw Dumbledore's robes billowing out as he stormed from the gates, wand at the ready and a terrible light in his eyes. For the first time, she realized that the air was still, and everything was completely silent.

She heard soft footsteps in the background, far, far away. She heard Dumbledore's voice, saying something she couldn't understand, although she could understand that they were orders.

"I don't know why they made me Head Girl," she said. She wasn't sure how that thought had come into her head but now it seemed important to explain to Gwyn, more important than anything else in the world.

"I'm supposed to be—I'm supposed to be something. What am I supposed to be? To do?"

She clutched the hand tighter. "I should have done something, shouldn't I have, should have realized sooner what was happening. We'd almost figured it out that way. The wolf, everything. I should have thought about it harder, I shouldn't have been so blind.

And I should have fought better, you shouldn't have needed to push me out of the way. I shouldn't have been so weak. God—" Her throat seized up and she trembled.

"I should have been a better fighter than I am," she confessed.

A sob burst out of her throat, which felt so dry. _But it's so wet outside_, she thought.

"You were right about me, too, and James. About that most of all. How did you know, even I didn't know, I don't know how you could have. Come on, you can get up now, I know that's what you wanted to hear."

Gwyn's eyes stayed closed, and where Lily expected a hint of smile on her lips to acknowledge her—as if to say, _Of course I was right all along_—there was nothing.

"You have to get up now, you have to move around. Your hands are so cold," she whispered. "Here, you need to get warm." She took James's necklace off and pressed it into her friend's hands, rubbing them. "You're cold, Gwyn, you need to warm up."

_I don't remember putting that on_, Lily thought. A thin leaf-pattern gold bracelet was hanging loosely on her wrist.

She felt James's hands on her shoulders, and then his arms reaching around and embracing her from behind, heard him whisper, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," again and again.

"She needs to warm up, she's so cold right now," she whispered.

-000-

Lily awoke staring up at the familiar rafters of the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey wasn't in the ward, but she could hear the healer's voice somewhere nearby.

"Of course, Professor Dumbledore…see…short…"

Lily propped herself up on her elbows and looked around her. More beds were occupied than she had ever seen before. Alice was leaning over a bed, and a flash of comprehension came to Lily when she saw the pale face of Frank Longbottom peeking out from under the covers. Whatever spell had hit him, he appeared to be recovering, albeit slowly.

Two other beds next to them were occupied, although both of them—_Sam Sawbridge_, she realized, _and Molly Ipsen_—were either sleeping or unconscious. As she turned to the entrance, the austere figure of Dumbledore swept towards her bed.

Then her eyes fell upon the bed at her side. Unlike the others, the covers had been pulled completely over this one so that the person underneath formed only a vaguely human-shaped outline underneath the light cloth. But there was no mistaking her; even lying down, it was easy to see how tall she was.

"Gwyn?" Lily breathed, not recognizing her own voice.

Dumbledore had reached her bedside by that time, and took a spot that blocked her view of Gwyn's bed.

"Lily, I'm sorry. But it is my opinion that it would be better if you don't have to see her. Her parents are already in the castle and they will be taking her away shortly."

"Is she—?" It was a stupid question to ask, she reflected, since she already knew the answer.

"I'm afraid so, my dear. There will be a service where you can pay your respects. It is—her passing shall weigh heavily upon my head," he sighed.

He appeared so old at that moment. For the first time the lines of his face truly showed his age; his eyes were pale and watery, and the depth of their color seemed drawn out and haggard. He had always had such wise eyes.

"It's my fault," she whispered.

"No, Lily. No, you must not think that."

"It is. She died saving me."

"She chose to save you, my dear. It is not your fault that you were a good enough friend that she thought you worth saving, not your fault that she loved you enough to choose your life before her own."

"I shouldn't have been—"

"What?" Dumbledore asked sharply.

"I should have fought harder," she said at last. "I should have been more…" She groped for a word, any word. Even as she spoke, though, she remembered what she'd told her friend. _Did I imagine all of that?_ And then, a second later: _Does that change what I said? I still don't want to fight…_

The Headmaster's gentle expression transformed in an instant when she finished speaking. All his old fire rose back into his face and he seemed more powerful than ever before. "Been what? More powerful? I think Voldemort has shown us what power is worth, by itself. More prepared? How could you have been prepared, when you have never faced a Death Eater before? More cautious?"

Then he seemed to deflate, like a light dimming slowly. "We cannot change who we are," he said, fatigue apparent in his tone. _I couldn't make myself a fighter…_

"Don't think you're weak, Lily. You are strong in ways you can't imagine." _I can come up with potions in dusty old libraries_, she thought bitterly. _That's what I'm strong at._

He paced at her bedside, although he was always careful that she couldn't fix her gaze on the body lying behind him.

"To blame yourself because you think you should have been something else…that simply doesn't make sense. Truth be told…if anyone's to blame, blame me."

"No," she said haltingly. "No, that doesn't—"

"Make sense? See here. I am—if you'll forgive my conceit—by far the most powerful wizard in this castle, the most wise, the most knowledgeable, blessed with the most foresight. How then, did I not anticipate this attack? How then, did I not arrive in time to save my students from having to fight in my stead?"

"It can't be your fault, you had nothing to do with it…"

"Perhaps," Dumbledore cut her off. "Perhaps. Our faults, such as they are, are a question that we will always ask ourselves, and one which only we can truly answer. But hopefully you can see, now. We all have reasons we can blame ourselves. And, I believe, we all have the minds to eventually realize that those reasons are foolish, and that no one is at fault but the one who actually cast the curse."

She paused, then said, "I feel like I failed her somehow, like I—"

"Ah, Miss Evans. You have always expected too much of yourself." He paused to give her hand a consoling pat; somehow just his touch made her feel better, safer.

"It's why we made you Head Girl, you know," he added quietly, as if he knew the question she had asked herself on that field. "You strive as if deathly afraid of disappointing others, when in fact in everyone else's eyes you are accomplished beyond any expectations we could have."

Lily's eyes filled with tears. "I wasn't good enough though. I wasn't what everyone thought I was, I just wasn't."

Dumbledore sighed. "Sometimes, Lily, no one is good enough or strong enough. I should say, it even hints of arrogance…"

"What?" Her astonishment must have been plain upon her face.

"You see," he said in his teacher's voice. "It is a queer sort of arrogance, but arrogance nonetheless, to assume that we must always bear the heaviest burden. To expect the most out of oneself, all the time, indicates that one assumes that he or she has the most strength to give, strength enough to do anything, to forestall any disaster, to solve any problem, to change fates beyond our changing."

Lily was silent, thinking about these words. His hand reached over and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't hate yourself because of this, Lily. Gwyn wouldn't have wanted it. Don't you see? Her sacrifice was a willing sacrifice, made out of love. And it was a sacrifice made so you could go on with your life, not for you to pass your time in a sort of living death."

Lily tried to believe that, wanted desperately for it to be true. But every time she got close to embracing it, she was reminded of the body that was lying there, just behind Dumbledore.

"Take some time to mourn your friend," the Headmaster suggested gently. "I know you loved her, and losing the people we love is the most difficult thing in the world. But you _will _heal." His voice was insistent, the strength carrying in every syllable. "And eventually the questions will fade from your mind, and in time you may be able to recall memories of your times together together, during happier days, without pain or regret."

Dumbledore patted her on the arm. "Get some sleep now, Lily. You need it." She watched him turn away, so much despair and so many questions swirling around in her mind, so many doubts and fears that tore across the formerly calm surface of her thoughts. But by then her eyes were already closing and her head was dipping towards the pillow.

-000-

It was dark when she woke. She was a bit light-headed when she propped herself up on the bed. As she did, her hand slipped out of someone's grip. _James_, she realized, turning to her side to find him fast asleep in a chair next to her bed.

He was blinking the sleep from his eyes, and shook his head drowsily. "Lily?" he said, in a dazed kind of way.

"Hey," she whispered. "Sorry to wake you up."

"It's alright," he said, his words slurred. "I was just waiting for you to get up, actually."

"Shh. It's alright, you can get back to sleep…"

He ran a hand through his hair and mussed it up, an unconscious gesture that made him look even more rumpled than he had before. "I'm up now," he said. "Listen, about Gwyn—"

"I don't want to talk about that now," she said suddenly. It was still too much of an open wound—and not one that Madam Pomfrey could heal like the rest of her.

Her tone must have been a bit harsh; he drew back as if stung.

"Later," she promised him. "Just not now." The hospital wing was shrouded in darkness, but she reached out and found his hand to give it a squeeze. Her other hand felt at her neck until it clasped the necklace he had given her. His heart beat was a slow, lulling rhythm.

"Sure," he said comfortingly. "Whenever you want to talk, I'll be there."

She gave his hand a pat and sunk back down into the bed. Truth be told, she still felt exhausted and wanted more sleep. But what about Bringfer and the Death Eaters? And Avus, and Frank Longbottom, and all the others?

Frank at least was in the bed across the room. He was sleeping peacefully, and even snoring a little.

She strained to see James's face in the half-light. It was gradually becoming a bit clearer, although it was still only a pale imitation of the boy she knew and loved. He was rubbing his hands together.

"Are you cold?" she asked suddenly, shifting in her pile of blankets and feeling a bit guilty.

"No," he laughed. "Just a bit nervous, I guess."

"Why're you nervous?"

"I dunno. Guess I wanted to make sure you were alright."

They lapsed into a brief silence. She forced herself to meet his eyes and said, "I'm alright."

He pulled her hand to his lips and brushed his lips across her knuckles. "I know you are. You're a tough nut, Evans."

"Bringfer—" she began.

He cut her off. "Ran. The second Dumbledore came out. Guess he thought he'd be fine facing him with six or seven buddies at his back, but wasn't sure about going solo."

She smirked. "I remember I used to think that about you too, you know."

"Hey!" he objected.

"Sshh," she quickly quieted him. "Believe me, I've changed my opinion since then."

He seemed slightly mollified. "Anyways, Bringfer's gone. Turns out he was actually some werewolf named Fenrir Greyback…" He shuddered. "Lupin told me he's the one who bit him when he was young…didn't recognize his human form, though."

"Lupin? Did the potion…"

"It worked fine," he said. "He's a bit down now, guilty."

"That doesn't make any sense!" she protested.

"I've tried telling him," James said hastily. "But he feels like he should have recognized Greyback somehow…or at least he should have been able to fight with us…but Peter made him stay behind."

Lily adjusted herself on her pillow. "That was the right thing to do, though…wasn't it? I mean, what if he'd…" She trailed off.

"You need to convince him, not me."

"The rest of the Death Eaters?" She wasn't sure who she despised more. The werewolf at least couldn't help being the way he was; the Death Eaters had had a choice, and had chosen evil.

"Escaped," he answered. "They fled into the forest and got away, picked up their friends on the way out. They've gone underground most likely."

She said, "We can find them, though, we saw some of their faces…"

James laid a gentle hand on her cheek. "We can't touch them," he said, anger thickening his words. "Dumbledore says the ones we catch will just deny it, we don't have proof. And even if we did, they'll just say they were under the Imperius curse…"

"That's what he said," she whispered. "The Death Eater I fought. He—he said that if they got him, he'd just say he was forced to do it."

James slammed a fist into his leg. "I hate feeling so helpless. I wish we could get them…"

"We will," she said, her voice a steely promise. Inside she swore a vow to herself. "It doesn't matter how long it takes, we'll get them all. For Gwyn."

"For Gwyn," he answered, but she could detect a note of hesitation.

"What?" she asked.

"For Hans as well. He…uh…they don't really know—" James's voice dropped lower. "They think, maybe, some kind of Imperius curse that went wrong…he's, erm, a bit different."

"What do you mean?"

"He doesn't really remember who he is," James said. "Or, uh, a lot of things. They took him to St. Mungo's, hopefully they can sort him out…but no one knows."

"Did anyone else—" She was dreading his answer, and let out her breath when he shook his head.

"We gave them hell," he said proudly. "Probably gave better than we got. At least, until…" He trailed off, sounding disconsolate.

"Everyone else's fine?"

"Alice and Rose got out with only scratches. Sirius and Dorcas are alright. Frank was hit with something nasty, they're regrowing the bones in his nose…uh, and Sam was released a few hours ago, he's fine. When he heard about Gwyn…"

"He really cared about her, huh?"

James nodded. "When he heard…I felt so bad for him. I mean, if you—if I'd had to see you…" He leaned over and kissed her fiercely, as if to make sure she was still there.

"If you see him," Lily said. "Tell him Gwyn…she…" She held back her tears. "She told me, she said to give her love to him."

James brushed his fingers lightly through her hair and planted another kiss on her forehead. "I will," he promised. "Now get some sleep."

"And Avus," she abruptly blurted. "Him too, what happened—"

James's smile didn't reach his eyes. "I'll tell you more tomorrow—"

"James, it's not like I'm falling apart from exhaustion, I'd like to know now."

But he remained stubborn. "You aren't, but you still need sleep. You broke quite a few bones, they just healed and your body needs to recover…"

She tried to put more sternness into her voice when she said, "Potter," but he had grown immune to that a long time ago.

"If you aren't going to admit you need sleep," he said, a kidding tone in his voice, "then fine. But I don't have to stay here, _I _need my beauty rest…"

She snorted. "Know when you're fighting for a lost cause, Potter."

"Hey now—"

"And if you don't tell me, I swear I'll drag myself out of this bed and follow you up to Gryffindor Tower—"

"And how are you going to stop me from getting to sleep?" he asked playfully. She saw easily through his act; he was trying to cheer her up. She loved him for it, but at the same time wasn't having it.

"Tell me," she said, teeth grinding.

His face grew somber. "Alright, fine. No big deal, I told Flitwick, and then McGonagall and Cassia went off into the woods to grab him. He wasn't hurt badly, only unconscious and a bit cut up."

"But he can't have been happy," she said knowingly. "I mean, good God, you disarmed him, and then the rest of us tied him up with ropes and knocked him unconscious."

"He wasn't," he admitted. "But Dumbledore saw to that. He's good at smoothing things over." His lips quirked up. "And now I've answered the question, so you should get to sleep."

He shuffled the chair he'd put next to her bed and sat down.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"I just thought I'd stay the night, make sure you're fine."

"I don't need a watchdog."

"Can't hurt," he said. "Besides, something tells me you wouldn't go to sleep once I left…" She hoped he couldn't see her blush in the dark. In all honesty, she hadn't been planning to go to sleep. She didn't even know what there was to do, she just couldn't stand lying around helplessly anymore.

Apparently he took her silence as agreement. He sighed. "You're not going to sleep, are you?"

"I'm _fine_, James," she insisted.

"Alright, alright!" He threw his hands up. "You're impossible, you know."

She smiled impishly at him. "You know that's why you love me," she said.

He made an exasperated sound and made a show of adjusting his robes. Just when she thought he was going to give up and go back to the tower to get some rest, he turned back to her.

"I'm not feeling so sleepy myself," he announced. "And I know the elves are still up, so I might get a bite from the kitchens…want me to grab you something?"

_Now there_, she thought with a touch of sadness, _is an offer I can take_.


	30. Brothers and Sisters

Chapter Thirty – Brothers and Sisters

It was a warm day hinting at the approach of summer when Lily was finally released from Madam Pomfrey's care. She had felt quite fine, but the Healer had told her off and insisted that she had to make sure there would be no chance of re-injury. Lily hadn't wanted to argue with her, knowing that it was generally a fruitless exercise. Even Dumbledore couldn't overrule her in her own realm.

The only news she'd heard had come from James or the _Daily Prophet_, which was now once again being delivered by owls. Most of what she read only made her angry. The papers reported the attack on Hogwarts, but insisted that it had been perpetrated by a rogue band of wizards who were seeking to assassinate Dumbledore for "reasons of personal interest." She had scoffed at that description; it made it sound as if the Headmaster owed them money or something.

Now that she was free to go, however, she wasn't sure what to do. Gryffindor Tower was nearly empty, and a sadness seemed to hang over the common room. The banners had been taken down, and even the Quidditch Cup was nowhere to be seen. Since it was summer, they no longer had a fire burning in the hearth either, which left the room feeling a bit colder even with the sunlight streaming through the glass.

The girls' dormitory was just another reminder of what had happened. Gwyn's trunk had been taken away—_They must have given it to her parents_, she reasoned out—and the bed's curtains were drawn. They fluttered in the breeze from a propped-open window, ghostly-white.

Her desk was bare on top and also emptied out when Lily checked inside the drawers. The only thing that had been left was an old gray-feather quill, the tip worn past use. The narrow shaft was stained with fingerprints. _Gwyn's fingerprints_, Lily knew, and packed it in with her things. She knew it was stupid, but she wanted to keep something of her friend, to imagine she was just taking it for safe-keeping and would give it back to her someday.

Alice's travel trunk was laid out on her bed, and it was clear that she had begun reorganizing her things to fit in. Lily sighed, knowing she needed to pack as well. Yet the thought of bundling up all her possessions and leaving Hogwarts as a student for good saddened her more than she could bear. She spared her own trunk a glance; it was a mess inside, especially the stack of notes she'd kept during her attempt to perfect the Wolfsbane Potion. There was also the hollow where she'd stuffed James's Invisibility Cloak, squishing a whole lot of other clothes around it.

The shouts from outside were a welcome distraction. When one peered down on the grounds from the right window in the tower, the whole area was visible…the lake, once again pristine and sapphire, the beech standing there as it always had, the students lying all over the lawn. Even Hagrid's cabin at the edge of the Dark Forest was barely visible.

Alice was one of the small shapes lying in the sun near the tree, Lily guessed. Frank was close by, looking over the waters, and as she watched Sirius and Remus came into view from behind the tree. Of course, Peter followed them a second later. As she watched, Sirius put a hand on Remus's back and waved an arm around them.

The imagined dialogue was so clear it was almost as if they were in the room with her.

_"So now that you've been all over Europe, what'd you think? Hogwarts must look like a dump now, huh?"_

_Remus would breath in deeply, close his eyes as a smile spread over his lean face. He was growing a bit of a mustache now, just a wisp. "It's more beautiful than ever. I'll be sad to leave it."_

Lily wanted to be down there, wanted to hear her friends' voices and their laughter. She hoped they could draw some out of her as well, and help her remember a little less. It was getting hard to live in the moment when all her thoughts flashed back to that night, and her last fleeting image of Gwyn standing in front of her, shielding her from harm…

The sun was so bright when she walked out that she had to squint to see in front of her. The halls were well-lit by torches at all hours, but it was still always quite dark in the castle. It was hard to realize in winter, but when summer came it grew glaringly obvious.

She came from behind them, so that James—who was lying with his back to the tree—saw her first.

"Hey!" he shouted. "Lily! They let you out?" He was getting to his feet, and reached out as she got close. She let him wrap an arm around her shoulders and felt the warmth of his body. He still had a half-starved look to him; since that night he seemed to have aged ten years.

"Finally," she said in frustrated tones. "Pomfrey was mad about keeping me for observation. Made it seem like her favorite hobby or something."

"Are you alright?" The concern was apparent in his voice.

"I'm fine," she said to him. "Or going to be." He seemed so happy to hear it that for the first time she believed it was going to be true.

"So Pomfrey was keeping you chained down up there, huh?"

"You wouldn't believe—"

"I'm sure she was doing what was best," Alice inserted, coming over to give her a hug. "Are you alright?"

Lily knew she was going to have to answer that question a lot now, already wincing at the thought. "I'm…yeah, I'm going to be okay. You?"

Alice bit her lip. "Yeah, I wasn't hurt or anything…it's just…Gwyn…" Tears were filling her eyes, and springing up to cloud up Lily's vision as well. But she wasn't going to let them come now. Instead, she reached out and held her friend again.

"I know," she whispered consolingly. "I know. It's…"

Neither of them had words for it. "I wake up sometimes expecting her to be badgering me about going to breakfast," Alice said.

Lily exhaled heavily. "I know. I get that, too. Expect her to come running up to me telling me about how soon N.E.W.T.'s are…" The tests were in a week's time. After what had happened, Dumbledore had let her know she could choose to delay them and have a special session to complete them during the summer. But she'd refused him, thinking that it was one normal thing she could count on in the coming months. After that, everything else seemed so uncertain.

Alice was crying silently, her face pressed against Lily's hair. She was glad her friend could let it out, and held her tighter. Her sobs were soft, but Lily could feel them when her body shook. She wished she could take the time to mourn Gwyn, to cry for her; but right now the anger was so hot in her that it burned away all the tears.

"It's alright," she murmured soothingly. "It's going to be okay."

Thankfully, James understood that she needed the moment alone, and stepped away to take Frank by the arm and guide him towards the group standing closer to the water.

"Remember that time she bewitched an Easter Egg with a Flying spell?" Alice asked shakily. "And then made it the last thing we had to get on the scavenger hunt…"

"And then," Lily joined in, laughing, "we had to fly the brooms to get at it…"

"But she'd Confounded the brooms so they were afraid of the egg, like they thought it was going to eat them or something."

Alice drew away, and they sat down with their backs to the tree. "It's good to be able to laugh about it still, isn't it?"

Lily brushed some grass off her robes. "I think so," she finally said.

"The funeral's—it's tomorrow," Alice told her, voice breaking.

Lily thanked her for letting her know. "You know," Alice said, "Gwyn's parents wanted—if we wanted—I mean, they said we could speak."

"Do you want to?" she asked.

Alice sounded unsure. "I—I just don't know what I want to say. And, well…if you talked…I think one of us should, but if we both did…" Lily understood.

"I can do it," she said, patting her friend's hand. Alice nodded mutely.

"Thanks," she managed. "I hate to put it on you, it's just—you know how I get. It…I'd probably bungle it up."

"It's okay, don't worry about it. Come on…" She waved at their friends standing by the lake. "Let's go over there. I don't want them thinking we're a meeting of the depressed women club or something." She wanted to put up a strong front, but her laughter rung hollow.

Still, Alice got up and together they walked over to the crowd standing by the water's edge.

"Of course they have to keep it," Sirius was saying indignantly to Lupin. "How could you even think about tearing it up?"

"Because it's a terrifying man-killing tree?" James suggested jokingly. "Although he's right, Remus, I think they should keep it."

"There's no point, though," he reasoned. "Now that I'm graduating…and besides, even if more werewolves come to Hogwarts, it isn't a question…the potion means they don't have to do that anymore."

"Evans," Sirius said, his tone making it clear he was reaching out for allies. "Tell Moony here that we should keep the Whomping Willow."

"Why in Merlin's name would we want to do something like that?" she asked incredulously. "That thing's a menace."

"It's misunderstood," Sirius insisted. "It just does the job they put it to."

"It might not be so bad," Peter said.

"In any case, it's not your decision…" Frank added.

"No, but we can talk to Dumbledore about it. I'm sure he'll see it's become a Hogwarts landmark, you can't take it down. It'd be like spearing the giant squid or burning out the Dark Forest!"

"That last one might not be such a bad idea, either," Lily put in. Joining in on the banter eased the hold of those ice-cold fingers around her heart.

"No sense of school pride, none at all."

James was laughing as he picked a stone up off the ground and tried to skip it. It plunged at an awkward angle into the water and he looked defeated. "Well, if nothing else, that tree'll put up a good fight. I'd like to see who they get to try and uproot it!"

Sirius perked up at that suggestion. "You're right," he said. "No gardener with a little pair of pruning sheers is going to manage to cut that thing down."

Then he turned his attention to Lily. "Hey, Lily." It was a rare thing to see Sirius Black thrown off-balance, but here it was. "How—how are you feeling?"

"I'll be alright," she said. "Won't lie and say I'm feeling great."

"Sure. If you need anything—"

The others around him echoed his sentiment.

"Thanks." She was touched by Sirius's offer; she knew he and James were undyingly loyal to each other, but she had never been on the best of terms with him before this year. She'd even barely been civil with him, now that she reflected upon it—with more than a touch of regret.

"I always liked her. You know, she, ah, she kind of reminded me of…well, she seemed the most like me, out of you three."

"If that's supposed to be a compliment, Black, you're not doing a very good job," she joked.

"Ah, come on!" he protested.

Chuckling, James said, "It's the thought that counts. And you know when Sirius says someone is like him, he _means_ that as a great compliment…"

Sirius turned to James with an aggrieved expression.

"Stabbed in the back by my own friend," he moaned, then pantomimed reaching behind him to try to pull a knife out from his body. They all laughed at his ridiculous bulging eyes as he staggered around and gasped weakly.

"You've found some acting talent," Frank kidded him. "Maybe being an Auror isn't your true calling after all…"

As Sirius and Frank had a friendly argument about that, James's face turned somber. "Hey. Alice told you about…about the—"

"Yeah. You mean tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

The group's mood had drifted back towards the solemn. "I guess you'll be speaking?" Remus asked.

"Yeah. Not sure what I'll say yet, but yeah."

"I'm sure you'll do her justice," Remus said graciously.

_I hope so, _she thought. _Justice…_

Her hand reached out and found James's. It gave her some comfort, just knowing he was there at her side.

-000-

They gathered to say goodbye to Gwyn on a quintessential summer day. A warm breeze floated through the air, and the sun was bright without being overbearing. It seemed like a better day for a wedding than a funeral; nature had brought out her own floral arrangements, which budded as far as the eye could see in chaotic yet spontaneously beautiful patterns.

The service was to be held at Hogwarts, although Gwyn would be buried back at home near Shropshire. Most of Gwyn's family had come to attend—judging by the nervous glances cast about by some of them, even the Muggles.

Lily took a place near the front, where they'd left her a seat so she could get up when it was her turn to talk. In the row behind her were most of the faculty. Even the Heads of Houses had put aside their different colors to wear formal Hogwarts robes, with the school seal rather than their House's coat of arms on the sleeves. Slughorn and McGonagall were seated side by side, Sprout to their left, and Flitwick next to them. The chair was so high that he had to climb onto it, and afterwards his stubby legs were pointed almost straight out.

James was with her. His dark formal robes intensified the coal-black shades of his hair and made his face seem pale, even though it was quite tan by this time of year. In the rows behind the teachers were the rest of their friends and schoolmates, a silent order of black-robed teenagers with grave faces. The first-years were especially disconsolate, and some had already started crying. They had hardly known Gwyn, surely; but Lily guessed this was probably their first funeral.

_Mine as well,_ Lily wanted to say to them, to reassure them. But it only made her feel a gnawing sensation inside her chest. _What if I screw this up?_ She couldn't bear to face Gwyn's parents. The woman she recognized as Gwyn's mother was holding onto her husband's arm with a dead look in her eyes. Gwyn's father had set his lips in a thin line, and there were dark circles where his glasses touched his face.

Dumbledore took his place beside her, and she smiled at him when he patted her hand. "It's unfair," he confided in her. "The first time I lost someone and had to attend such a service, I was close to your age. Death is not something we should have to see in the spring. It was…a day not unlike today."

His honest words surprised her, and must have shocked James as well. James's voice faltered as he asked, "Who was it, sir? Sorry for prying…I mean, if you don't mind…"

Dumbledore's face assumed an immense sadness. "Someone I loved dearly," he finally answered.

James lapsed into silence, but the Headmaster went on in a distant sort of tone. "The first one wasn't the hardest, though. It was…difficult to say goodbye to my parents, but…"

The headmaster's voice drifted off as his mind became absorbed by old, and clearly painful, memories.

Lily said, "It's—it's hard to think about…Gwyn had so much life in her."

"Yes," Dumbledore pondered sadly. "She did."

The dull pain sprung up inside her again, and everything grew distant. She was only pulled back when they opened the casket, and only for a moment.

They were close enough that she had an unobstructed view of her friend, so she took that moment to pause over her. Her face was arranged into a ghost of a smile, her expression unmarred by any hint of alarm or pain. Around her head they had placed a garland of laurels, and she remembered that day out by the tree when Alice had jokingly told her she could be a princess of the forest.

She realized with a start that the heavy silver object in Gwyn's hands was the House Quidditch Cup, and she glanced up at James. He hadn't told her about that, but now that she saw it in her friend's hands it seemed a fitting tribute. It shone brightly and cast little golden coins on her immaculate white dress.

The sun was blinding when she glanced up and away. Lily didn't want to remember her friend this way. Gwyn didn't look right to her. She looked like she was sleeping—and Lily could hardly remember a day at Hogwarts when Gwyn hadn't gone to bed later or got up earlier than her. They used to joke that someone had used magic to give her a motor instead of a heart, and it never stopped humming.

The service began as a dull roar in her ears. She hardly heard anything the first man said, and didn't even realize when he'd stepped down and Gwyn's father took his place. He spoke for a while about Gwyn's life, about her early years before Lily had known her. Tears blurred her vision as he described how happy he and his wife had been when they found out they were having a baby. Gwyn had been their only child.

When he reached the Hogwarts years, he broke down. "She—" He was stumbling over his words, and the sound of blown noses was cutting through the silences. "I never saw her…I know she—she was so happy the first time we sent her off to school. And ev—even happier when she came back that summer. She…she told us she had the greatest time. S-said she had the best teachers…" He paused to wipe his eyes. "And th-that she'd found the best friends in the whole world."

Lily felt a lone tear escape and draw a line down her cheek, and the softness of a handkerchief gently wiping it away.

"Thanks," she whispered to James, and he nodded and shifted over in his seat so he could hold her closer.

"I guess…I—I know, the one thing that never changed…as we watched her grow up. She never stopped believing that. S-she found different interests—believe us, we were as surprised as anyone when she started playing Quidditch…" He chuckled briefly. "But she always said that Hogwarts was like a dream for her. Always said she had the best teachers, and the best friends."

He drew himself up, squaring his shoulders. "So—I guess I'll end by saying thank you. Be-because you were the people who filled my Ma—my daughter's life with happiness. You were the best teachers to her, and the best friends." He faced the casket, covering his mouth with a handkerchief so the last words were barely audible. "I'll miss you, Maggie." The name sounded strange coming off his tongue. _I never knew her parents called her that_, she thought. _So much, so much more we could have learned about each other._ It was immensely cruel they wouldn't have that time.

Dumbledore was the next to speak, but it was an odd sight now. Normally when he stood up to give his announcements at feasts or ceremonies he had a playful glint in his eye or a smile on his face. He seemed diminished without either.

"Magwyn Dunter," he began at last, "was what I'd call a sure-thing. The Sorting Hat had hardly fitted around those golden locks before it placed her in Gryffindor. It couldn't have been hard for it to see what was inside her: courage, rightness of mind, greatness of spirit. Above all, endless amounts of life, a stunning vivacity that all her teachers—and not a few students—remarked upon."

He adjusted his spectacles and folded his hands in his robes. "It was those characteristics that made themselves evident again and again during Gwyn's seven years here at school. She was never cowed by a teacher's stare, never afraid to venture an answer when others stayed silent in uncertainty, never scared to help a friend in need, whether it meant trouble or not. She came to us as a young girl, with the seeds of greatness in her heart and in her mind; she left us when that greatness had matured and was near full-grown. It is my great regret that I will not get to see what she would have been, for I think she would have been something special…a person with true nobility."

He shifted slowly to her side, and reached down to drop a single rose—conjured out of thin air—into the casket. "Hogwarts will miss you, Gwyn. It will miss your laughter and your life, the warmth you brought to our halls. And it will ever be a home to you, as long as our hearts remember."

He stepped off the platform and returned to his seat, tears in his eyes. It was the first time she had seen Dumbledore like that.

Then James's hand was at her back, urging her forward, and she realized it was her turn. She shakily ascended the platform and found the podium, then gazed out over the seated crowd. It seemed much larger from this vantage point.

_What did I want to tell them?_ Everything seemed to have fled, her thoughts betraying her.

"I was raised in a Muggle family," she said. It seemed a stupid way to start, now that she was up there, but she didn't know how else to begin. "So when I got to Hogwarts, it was a whole new world to me. I—I didn't know any magic, I hated writing with quills…and I thought my wand was good for nothing other than poking people to get their attention." A peal of laughter rose over the quiet, encouraging her.

"The first thing I thought when I met Gwyn…I was jealous of her. She was tall and pretty and knew a fair amount of what we'd be learning during our first year…I thought she was everything a witch was supposed to be. But when we met, the first thing she told me was that she liked my hair." Lily let a chuckle escape her lips.

"When I was a kid, everyone said it was orange like a carrot, and I thought it was hideous. But that's the type of person Gwyn was, she only saw what was good in things. She always had that kind of…she always saw life that way. I wondered if it was hard for her, but that's the funny thing—for her it was always as easy as anything, it came naturally."

Alice was sobbing in the fourth row, her shoulders heaving as Frank Longbottom wrapped her in a tight embrace. "She was more than kind, though. As we got to know each other I found out she was smart, too, and fun to be around, and always glad to talk to people…she talked a bit too much, I guess, if you judged by her detention records."

Lily felt her chest seizing up, but pushed on. "She was fierce, too. In competition—I loved to see her fly in Quidditch matches, nothing made her happier than bringing a win back to Gryffindor. The six years she played for us, we won the Cup four times. It wasn't just in competing, though. She was fierce in her generosity—she never thought about herself, always wanted to help others. Half the couples at Hogwarts can probably attest to that, since she got them together."

There was only a little more to say, she could finish. "And in her love, as well. That most of all. Her—her dad, he sent her the _Times_ every Sunday, since he works for them. And she would read it cover to cover that morning, wouldn't pick up any homework or anything. You could see how much she loved her parents…but it wasn't just them either."

Her eyes caught Alice's, and Jen's, and half a dozen other people in the audience, and then rested on James. Two trails ran down his face, and he had taken his glasses off to wipe at his face. "She loved all of us, whoever was lucky enough to call her a friend. She had such a big heart, we all had a place in it…it was like we were all a big family there, all brothers and sisters. We might have been the most different people on the face of the earth, but somehow there was room in Gwyn's heart for all of us…that's what I'll remember about her. How fiercely she loved."

She took the rose out from under the folds of her robe and dropped it in the casket. It rolled down to rest alongside the ones that Dumbledore and her father had left.

"And that's what I'll miss most about you, Gwyn. I'll miss your voice, your laugh, your smile, every little thing you did, every time you ever helped me…and I'll miss your love. I never told you, not really, but I loved you too—you were like my big sister. I'll think of you, I know. You'll be with me forever."

_I promise I'll give you justice_, she vowed, a coldness seizing her inside.

Then there was nothing more to say, and nothing else she could have said. She darted across the stage and back to her seat, feeling the heat lacing down her face and tasting the bitterness on her lips. James was waiting to hold her when she sat down.

"That was really good," he whispered in her ear.

She could barely get the words out now. "James—promise, promise you won't let me go."

"Never," he answered without hesitation. Then, with more fire in his voice than she had ever heard, "You can't get rid of me now, Evans."

_I don't want to anymore, _she thought ironically. _I couldn't want anything less. _And there at last she felt a warm spot in the folds of his robes where she could finally let herself cry.


	31. Hope

Epilogue – Hope

They came to her in her sleep. Gwyn was the first, her hair fluttering behind her and a smile in her eyes.

_"Hey, Lily," she said, her hand stretching out to clasp hers. "How are you?"_

_This was her chance to apologize, to say everything she'd meant to say…"Gwyn, I'm sor—"_

_But her friend cut her off. "Lily, don't be sorry for who you are." Strange, how much her words sounded like Dumbledore._

_"I just—I feel like I'm lost…"_

_"And yet you're the only one who has the key to finding us all," Gwyn said, already fading away._

Alice was next, short and showing the first signs of plumpness, her hair in curls.

_"It's good to feel young again," she said wistfully._

_"Young?" Lily didn't understand. "What do you mean, we're only seventeen…"_

_Alice shook her head, eyes full of regret. "Here we are, where we can be."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"We had the spring," she said. "It had to be enough."_

_"Why?" she asked, but now Alice was walking away and wouldn't answer. "Why?" she called again, as her friend took Frank Longbottom's hand. They cast their eyes back at her, and then were gone._

Jen came afterwards, her Quidditch gloves still on her hands.

_"Lily," she said, sounding surprised to see her there. "Oh."_

_"Jen, what—?"_

_"I'm sorry to see you here," she said._

_"Why would you—"_

_"I have to go," she interrupted her. "We're going to fly." And she stepped back, and there were several figures behind her, faces that looked vaguely like her own. "My brother, my sister," she said by way of explanation. Lily tried to remember their names. There was an Edgar, and an Amelia, she knew._

She heard James before she saw him, the click of his shoes as he approached. She turned around and saw him looking at her as if searching for something. He looked like he had so much to say.

_He finally settled on, "I love you, Lily."_

_"James, tell me what's going on."_

_A somberness filled his face. "I never leave you," he said, desperation in his tone. "I'm with you until—"_

_"Until what?"_

_"Until I can't be, anymore. As long as I can choose, I stay with you. No matter how bad it gets."_

_She clasped both his hands together and pulled them to her chest. The necklace was there, she realized, but it was just a stone, and its chill spread across her skin. "James?" she asked, frightened._

_"I love you so much," he said by way of answer. "Do you—"_

_"I love you too," she told him, seeing how much he needed to hear her answer. "More than anything."_

_"Was I—I hope I ended up good," he said._

_"Good _and_ great," she replied. "Remember how you once said to me, 'Wouldn't it be better to have both'…?"_

_He brought her face up to his and kissed her for an eternity. When they drew apart he was fast vanishing. "I remember," he said. "It seems like the good part is the only one that matters now though…"_

_"Wait!"_

_He shook his head. "_I'm_ the one that has to wait for you," he whispered. "That's how it's always been…"_

There were more, now, more than she could remember, faces she didn't even recognize, people she somehow knew she would one day meet. When they spoke to her, they refused to answer her questions, but everything they said made her feel sad inside.

When he rose out of the mist, Sirius was as healthy as she remembered him, a cocky grin on his face.

_"God, it's good to be back," he said, glancing over himself._

_"What do you mean?"_

_He shrugged. "I didn't exactly take care of myself, after…well, let's say it wasn't easy." His laughter was that same bark-like sound she knew so well._

_"To be young again, eh, Evans? Although I always thought you were an old maid at heart…"_

_"Hey!"_

_"Relax, you proved to me you had some kick in you. I was wrong about you." He laced his fingers through his hair and looked around. "See anyone?"_

_"Lots of people, listen, what's—"_

_"Not part of the rules, I'm afraid."_

_"Since when did you follow—?"_

_He had to clutch his sides when he laughed. "Merlin's beard, what a good question!" And he was leaving too, she knew. She tried to grab his arm, but he was almost gone._

_"Sirius! For what it's worth, I was wrong about you too."_

_"Thanks…" he said. Then he must have seen James, because he said, "Potter."_

Then it was dark, and they all returned. James came to her first, and she allowed herself to be wrapped up in his arms. He nuzzled against the side of her neck, but didn't say anything. She closed her eyes and left herself enjoy the feeling, that prickling sensation as the frame of his glasses caught in her hair…_let this last forever…_

Sirius came and clapped him on the back, said, "Come on, buddy, we don't need all that." And Alice and Gwyn were there, laughing about some joke they'd shared, and the others behind them. They were all barely visible, and she searched for the source of that faint light…

It was there, right in front of her. It was growing bigger, a small perfectly white sphere.

"Moony'd like that," James murmured distantly. "It's his Boggart, you know."

"No," Sirius said, "but close enough."

"What is that?" she asked.

Gwyn sat down cross-legged beside her, and Alice sank in next to her holding Frank's hand. "It's the light," she said. "Isn't it obvious?"

It didn't seem obvious to her. She looked again though, and was surprised to see it growing larger and larger, proportionally brighter and brighter. She could hardly look to see the inside of it now, but when she forced herself to turn towards it she realized there was a boy within.

"Who—?" she asked, and James squeezed her a bit tighter.

She examined him, every inch that was visible and still rising, expanding. He had unkempt black hair that reminded her of James, and had the kind of leanness only gifted to the young. His smile lit his face, and she realized how much he looked _exactly_ like James…until she saw the smile reach his eyes. An impossible thought flashed through her, an intuition that grew slowly into a certainty. _He has my eyes_, she saw. _He has my eyes…_


End file.
